Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker met Walid Sheta, the Regional President of Schneider Electric for the MEA; Sebastian Reese, the President of the Company for North Africa; Mohamed Stouhy, Programme Manager for 14 Control Centres; and Xavier Bailey, the Director of Execution of the First Phase of Control Centres to follow up on the developments of the first phase of the Control Centres Project. At the beginning of the meeting, Shaker praised the fruitful and constructive cooperation with Schneider Electric — the global leader in the field of smart grids — to complete the implementation of control centres in light of the directives of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to give priority to raising the efficiency of electricity transmission and distribution networks in distribution companies. This is in addition to raising the level of performance and improving the quality and stability of electrical nutrition and maximising the use of IT applications and smart systems to ensure the effective and smart management of networks. Shaker also explained that smart grids represent a qualitative leap in the future of electric power transmission and distribution at the present time and that it depends heavily on the exploitation of renewable energy resources, achieving optimal utilisation of electricity, and reducing the cost of its production. The future vision of the Egyptian electricity sector is based on the gradual transformation of the current network from a modular network to a smart one, he elaborated. For his part, Sheta expressed the company's intention to cooperate closely with the Egyptian government and its keenness as an international company to fully participate in the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh this November to highlight the role of developing control centres for the stability of electrical power supply and its impact on the environment. Sheta also highlighted cooperation with the electricity ministry to develop the national electricity network, maximise the use of human capabilities, and localise industry in Egypt, especially that the company gradually depends on local components in the operations of manufacturing control centres. Similarly, Reese praised Egypt's interest in having a smart grid that can meet its needs to achieve growth plans and has specifications of reliability and stability in light of the economic growth processes to achieve Egypt's 2030 Vision. Additionally, Stouhy stressed his full commitment to the established timetables. The ministry and Schneider set a plan for the establishment and development of 47 control centres in electricity distribution networks at the level of electricity distribution companies to cover all parts of the Republic. Schneider Electric won a tender to establish 14 control and distribution centres and aim to establish the first smart grid at the state level in the Middle East within 30 months.
