A Presidential Decree to Search for Oil in Sinai

President Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree to permit the Ministry of Petroleum to contract with Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and other companies to search for oil in Sinai, Youm7 reported.

This decree was made while a conference about the future of renewable energy is organized by the Minister of Environment Laila Iskander.

Head of Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency Amr al-Samak attended the conference with a number of civil society representatives, NGOs, and environmental experts.

They discussed the strategy regarding energy under the supervision of Energy Saving Unit of the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) and in coordination with the European Union, Sada el-Balad newspaper reported.

The strategy depends on benefiting from new and renewable energy sources as well as traditional sources of energy based on fossil fuel. Although it would need to commit to the new constitution articles 32 and 46 that recommend the best usage for renewable energy.

Iskander said during the conference that if Egypt was categorized as coal-dependant state, tourists would not visit it.

Iskander said Egypt signed international agreements to reduce carbon emissions and that “Egypt needs renovated solutions, especially in the current economical and political situation, because securing energy sources, not by depending on importing, is considered as securing the country’s national security.”

Iskander explained that solar and wind power are considered the most important sources of clean energy, which exist in Egypt. She also recommended putting laws to rationalize energy consumption in different sectors.

Samak said in his speech that Egypt has one of the most biggest sources of renewable energy in the world, solar power, which could be exported to other countries, according to Veto Gate.

He said depending on energy sources from abroad controls Egypt’s fate and could harm its national security in the future.

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