The electricity production of Ataqa power plant dropped by roughly 200 MW, despite the renovation and development operations conducted on production units.

Sources at the Ministry of Electricity said that the total capacity added to the national grid from the plant is estimated at 700 MW, including 120 MW from the first unit, 120 MW from the second unit, 220 MW from the third unit, and 240 MW from the fourth unit.

The total capacity of the plant amounts to 900 MW. The first two units secure 240 MW out of the actual capacity of 300 MW. The production of the third and fourth units dropped by 140 MW from the actual total capacity of 600 MW.

The sources added that the development of the plant cost $25m, besides periodic overhaul and maintenance that were made by General Electric and Siemens.

The sources pointed out that both the third and fourth units have been parked for the past four years, noting that the commercial operation of the plant improves by time, especially as the plant has been operative for 30 years.

The sources said that Siemens conducted regular overhauls on production turbines, while Mitsubishi maintained and updated the boilers of the plant.

The total productive capacity of Egyptian power plants amount to 32,000 MW, while the highest load up per day is estimated at 24,000 MW.

The sources pointed out that the ministry has developed a plan to renovate the plants to save fuel and increase efficiency, instead of building new plants, which cost the state huge amounts of money.

The Ministry of Electricity also spotted EGP 11bn for the operation and maintenance of production plants and electricity distribution networks during the current year.