Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority’s (NREA) Head, Mohamed Salah El Sobky, has called for establishment of a special renewable energy entity for Arab States, The Khaleej Times reported. In addition to the Arab Ministerial Council for Electricity of the League of Arab States, a new entity is needed to coordinate among Arab countries to adopt a shared point of view towards energy issues. El Sobky added that such an entity would also set specific goals for the contribution of renewables in the Arab energy system.

As for the energy sector in Egypt, El Sobky described it as ‘unsafe’, because fossil fuels (mainly natural gas and mazut) comprise about 95% of the sector, and represent 90% of energy used to generate electricity. Egypt has a strategy that aims to generate 20% of its electricity through renewable resources by 2020, up to 60% by 2050, informed MENAFN.

“Diversifying energy resources is absolutely necessary for the Arab region, especially that the region enjoys abundant resources of renewable energy,” El Sobky pointed out, adding that the majority of Arab states are situated in a sunbelt which gives them huge advantages in solar energy resources, in addition to wind and water resources. Accordingly, NREA’s Head believes that it is a strategic choice for the Arab region to exploit such resources and lay the foundations for an Arab industry that follows global standards. “Fossil fuel resources can then be reserved as a strategic inventory to be used by future generations,” he added.