320 M. LUOMI
stakeholder organisations joining the delegation. (A similar pattern is
observable in the UAE’s UNFCCC delegations at this time.) From
2009 at least through 2012, the Egyptian delegation was chaired by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which further intensified the country’s participation in the negotiations. In this period, Egypt also played a leading role
in coordinating an Arab position for the UNFCCC, through the League
of Arab States’ Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. According to Abdel Gelil, ‘pushed by Egypt’, in this period, the
Arab group also ‘started to coordinate its position away from the OPEC
group’. 73
At the same time, in the early 2010s, Egypt joined the newlyestablished and more conservative Like-minded Developing Countries’
(LMDCs) group, which emerged from the 2011 Durban COP as a
counterweight to developing countries holding more progressive views
on emissions reductions (see the UAE section of this chapter), and has
remained a member since.
Domestic Policy Evolution and Main Elements
As North Africa’s major energy consumer, Egypt’s energy sector policies
will have an important impact on the sub-region’s future emissions. The
country has the highest renewable electricity capacity in the Arab region,
at 4.8 GW in 2018, significantly up from 2016 to 2017 when renewable power capacity, at 3.7 GW equalled to 8% of its total generation
capacity. 74 A large share of this capacity is from hydropower. Electricity
demand, as in most parts of the Arab region, keeps growing at high rates.
Egypt’s first renewable energy target, of 5% by 2000 was set already
in 1982, and its first climate change action plan dates to the mid-1990s.
In 2008, Egypt set a national renewable energy generation target of 20%
by 2020. The renewables target was maintained in the 2016 Integrated
Sustainable Energy Strategy, which also includes a 42% target for 2035. In
addition, the strategy envisages an energy efficiency improvement target
of 8% by 2022, compared to 2006–2007 levels. 75
The country has also engaged in fossil fuel/energy subsidy reform,
announcing a gradual price reform in 2014, which would include an
elimination of energy subsidies by 2022. 76 It has also announced a
nuclear energy programme, including four Russian-built reactors with
a total capacity of 4.8 GW but, as of 2019, no plants were yet under
construction. 77
stakeholder organisations joining the delegation. (A similar pattern is
observable in the UAE’s UNFCCC delegations at this time.) From
2009 at least through 2012, the Egyptian delegation was chaired by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which further intensified the country’s participation in the negotiations. In this period, Egypt also played a leading role
in coordinating an Arab position for the UNFCCC, through the League
of Arab States’ Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. According to Abdel Gelil, ‘pushed by Egypt’, in this period, the
Arab group also ‘started to coordinate its position away from the OPEC
group’. 73
At the same time, in the early 2010s, Egypt joined the newlyestablished and more conservative Like-minded Developing Countries’
(LMDCs) group, which emerged from the 2011 Durban COP as a
counterweight to developing countries holding more progressive views
on emissions reductions (see the UAE section of this chapter), and has
remained a member since.
Domestic Policy Evolution and Main Elements
As North Africa’s major energy consumer, Egypt’s energy sector policies
will have an important impact on the sub-region’s future emissions. The
country has the highest renewable electricity capacity in the Arab region,
at 4.8 GW in 2018, significantly up from 2016 to 2017 when renewable power capacity, at 3.7 GW equalled to 8% of its total generation
capacity. 74 A large share of this capacity is from hydropower. Electricity
demand, as in most parts of the Arab region, keeps growing at high rates.
Egypt’s first renewable energy target, of 5% by 2000 was set already
in 1982, and its first climate change action plan dates to the mid-1990s.
In 2008, Egypt set a national renewable energy generation target of 20%
by 2020. The renewables target was maintained in the 2016 Integrated
Sustainable Energy Strategy, which also includes a 42% target for 2035. In
addition, the strategy envisages an energy efficiency improvement target
of 8% by 2022, compared to 2006–2007 levels. 75
The country has also engaged in fossil fuel/energy subsidy reform,
announcing a gradual price reform in 2014, which would include an
elimination of energy subsidies by 2022. 76 It has also announced a
nuclear energy programme, including four Russian-built reactors with
a total capacity of 4.8 GW but, as of 2019, no plants were yet under
construction. 77