Hurghada Residents Report Repeated Power Cuts and Swinging Voltage, and Fear for Their Appliances

Residents of several residential districts in Hurghada complained on Friday of repeated electricity cuts and an unstable supply, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm and Sada El-Balad, which both carried the complaints the same day.

Both outlets reported that the problem is not limited to outages of a set length. Residents said the current also fluctuates, returning intermittently and at irregular voltage, and they fear household appliances will be damaged as a result.

The residents asked the authorities for four things:

• a technical review of the feeder lines and transformers serving the affected districts
• the cause of the repeated faults identified and fixed at source, rather than the power simply being switched back on each time
• faults and complaints acted on faster
• advance notice of any maintenance or planned disconnection, and stated restoration times actually kept

They said the strain is worst in districts where consumption and electrical load have risen.

Sada El-Balad noted that the complaints as reported did not name the specific districts affected, and that no technical explanation of the faults has been issued. Neither outlet reported any response from the electricity company or the governorate.

Hurghada's summer power cuts have already left a visible mark on the city: the minarets and courtyard of the Al-Mina Grand Mosque have stood dark since then, and the governor moved this week to get them lit again. With no schedule of works published, the only protection residents have is the one they raised themselves — guarding sensitive appliances while the voltage is swinging.