Coal: securing energy and safe energy
Energy mixture concept versus sustainable development concept
Energy and water forum of Sennari House dependent to Bibliotheca Alexandrina organized in co-operation with The Egyptian Network for Renewables and Water Cycling (ENRWC); founded by the journalist/ Mohamed El Ssayed Darwish; a discussion session about coal between securing energy and safe energy on Tuesday Oct. 28th 2014
Keynote speaker Dr. Ibrahim Abdel-Guelil; former chairman of both the “Energy Planning Apparatus” and “Environmental Affairs Apparatus”; presented an analytical vision on energy sector realities in Egypt and its utmost features and what it included of wrong policies which called later to open the door to
consume coal and consider it a part of energy mixture needed by Egypt now
The session realized Egyptian energy sector status and its
characteristics
Egypt counts on gas by 46%, oil by 41% , wind and water energy by 13% with unprecedented annual demand growth rate of about 7%;
Increased deficit in electricity and petroleum companies balances, accompanied with shortage in natural gas and other types of oil supplies;
Electricity transport and distribution losses which reached 13% per year meanwhile world average is 9%, with high consumption industries energy efficiency deterioration due to wrong subsidy policies which led to expansion of energy high consumption industries;
Lack of future vision of energy demand growth due to deletion of Energy planning Apparatus in 2006 without any reason with an administrative order which got no support from sector’s stakeholders
Delay in divulgation of renewables techniques resulted in losing readily available experimented solutions to fulfill shortage in energy demand with clean safe sustainable energy
Dr, Abdel-Guelil pointed out to reasons of emerging of the problem now that Egypt turned from exporter of oil products to consumer and budget deficit increase and in-ability to import its needs in international rates. Budget deficit resulted in stop of new plants construction and current network expansion and maintenance of already established ones. Budget deficit coincided with inability to pay debts of multinational petroleum companies; operating in Egypt; so they stopped their activities and investments and some of them
already left Egypt
Energy mixture
Forum Moderator - Mohamed El Ssayed Darwish pointed out that energy mixture concept should be aligned with its natural concept and its objective to achieve energy independence and not to compel to international markets prices fluctuations; as a state adapting energy mixture concept count on its own available energy sources and is not obligated to import it and consequently, achieve energy self-sufficiency concept. Applying this concept on calls to incorporate coal into Egyptian energy mixture, this shows call wrongness and in- viability of coal import, in accordance with appropriate technical concept of energy mixture and despite high voices of pressure groups supporting its import and consumption, making use of immature understanding of the concept of energy mixture, basket or wallet
Energy and water forum session recommendations
Expansion in counting on new and renewable resources in Egypt. Worth noting that Japan after Fukishima catastrophe established 4000 mega watt of solar energy within 18 months only; which reflects the importance and viability of counting on renewables. Taking into consideration that every 1000 mega watt of solar energy means saving 250 million dollar per year of natural gas
To achieve this expansion, obstacles facing private sector should be
removed to encourage it to pump investments in this new sector
Taxes should be imposed on energy high consumption industries’ exports. Cement sector produces 68 million tons per year meanwhile local consumption is about 30 million tons per year. Worth noting that every cement ton needs 75kw/h of electricity, this number increases 30% on international rates which represent state resources wasting
Energy sector policies should adapt sustainable development policy instead of energy mixture concept as first concept is clear, undisputable and is not subject to stakeholders’ exploitation against second one. Door is open
to environmentally harmful coal consumption
Attention should be drawn that social cost of coal consumption in Egyptian factories; being of high energy consumption or to produce electricity is 20 to 27 billion pounds per year; borne by the exhausted deficit state treasury
World Bank 2002 study revealed that environmental deterioration cost in Egypt is about 4,5% of national GDP. Coal consumption will increase this deterioration rates
There is no clean coal and use of modern techniques to reduce resulting CO2 emissions will result in increasing its cost and consequently losing its relative advantage for its potential consumers in Egypt, which will make them verbally not practically committed with established and expected environmental requirements
We should be aware that coal use will increase coal print in Egypt which will compromise Cairo negotiation position in climate change negotiations and resulting treaty will oblige its members to reduce their emissions
Attention should be drawn to the lack of coal importing infrastructure; of ports, roads, and means of transport, oil, storage and grinding facilities. Egyptian roads have the highest international record in accidents and lives loss, which is a clear evidence of lack of safety rules on roads currently. Coal transport will increase its disadvantages enormously
There is no meaning to import coal then apply tax on its usage to face its harmful environmental and social impacts. Not to put the horse ahead of the car
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