Egypt, China's Huawei discuss electricity network's transformation to smart grid

CAIRO -

Egypt and China's tech giant Huawei on Thursday discussed the gradual transformation of Egypt's electricity network to a smart grid, Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy said.

Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker met with Huawei's regional president Li Jiguang in Cairo, where they discussed the cooperation, the ministry said in a statement.

The meeting is part of Egypt's plans to develop its energy sector based on the latest technologies, it added.

During the meeting, Shaker hailed the existing cooperation between Egypt and China in several mega projects, welcoming further cooperation with China to benefit from its expertise and technological progress.

"The future vision of the Egyptian electricity sector is based on the gradual transformation of the current network from a typical one to a smart grid that would help absorb the large amounts of generated power," Shaker said.

Shaker highlighted his ministry's efforts to improve its services, including power generation, transportation and distribution.

Li, president of Huawei Northern Africa Enterprise Business Group, commended the rapid and remarkable development of the projects implemented by the Egyptian ministry to establish a strong infrastructure along with a smart grid that supports the digital transformation.

The Huawei official added that despite the challenges the corporation faced in the first half of 2020, it has managed to achieve revenues growth, which shows Huawei's strength and stability amid global challenges.

In late February, Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Huawei discussed plans to provide training to develop the skills of Egyptian university students talented in information and communications technology.