Egypt Going Green by Converting Gasoline Cars to Run on Natural Gas

Egypt has recently carried out massive sustainable and green projects in different provinces to convert gasoline cars to run on natural gas in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment.

Throughout two year period, the state began to activate its plans to deal with climate change through several national projects and laws, which emerged through the expansion of metro networks, trains, and electric cars and the preparation of the necessary infrastructure for this, as well as the establishment of smart and sustainable cities.

This decision also came in response to the increasing global concern about environmental issues and climate change, according to Egypt's government.

In his address at the conference of the inauguration of a number of sustainable projects in Upper Egypt, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla indicated that the Egyptian government has been concerned about climate issues and their impact on the environment.

In a statement issued by the government, Egypt has also offered green bonds worth $750 million for five years at a yield of 5.25 percent, the first offering of government green bonds in the Middle East and North Africa.

Green bonds are special loans to finance projects related to climate change or the environment, as defined by the World Bank.

Egypt will lower the rates of emission of toxic pollutants within its environment, drastically. The downside would be that electric cars are still more expensive than the traditional gasoline car and they would have to travel in shorter distances by banning gasoline-powered vehicles, according to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla.

In response to this situation, Egypt aims at converting all vehicles to operate on natural gas in coastal cities. This plan includes coordination with several ministries such as finance, trade, and industry, and seven governorates to provide lands required to collect vehicles.

Moreover, Egypt has adopted the idea of manufacturing electric vehicles a couple of months ago because of its advantages, including the low cost of maintenance and repairs, all with the signed agreement with one of massive China’s Electric-Vehicle Companies that designs and manufactures trucks and buses.

In November, Egypt announced that it is working to ban all diesel taxies and gasoline vehicles to stroll down in Sharm El-Sheik and Hurghada provinces, according to the latest decision taken by the government.

This approach also follows the United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity (COP14), which took place in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2018.