And that’s that: We’re now going to have to change our clocks twice a yearafter MPs yesterday greenlit a government bill that brings back daylight saving time, which it says will help the country save money by reducing power consumption. The law will see Cairo Local Time (CLT) pushed forward by one hour from the last Friday of April through the last Thursday of October — meaning that we’re likely to have our first time jump at the end of this month.

The rationale: The government says it will save us at least USD 25 mn. So said an explanatory note out yesterday to justify the change that broke down the potential savings that come with lowering natural gas consumption. “It will save USD 25 mn worth natural gas needed to operate power generation stations,” it said, also claiming the time shift will reduce power consumption of air conditioners in the summer months by starting the workday when it is cooler outside.

Remember: The government last year began rationing the use of electricity — including restrictions on lighting in public spaces at night — in a bid to redirect more natural gas towards exports and increase hard currency inflows.

The bill wasn’t waved through unopposed, with some MPs voicing skepticism that the change would produce the savings the government claimed and others airing concerns about the potential health implications. “In 2016, the government insisted that daylight saving time be scrapped on the grounds it was of no use, but now it comes to us again to say that it will save power consumption,” said Rep, Ayman Abul Ela, a member of the liberal Reform and Development Party, before suggesting that changing clocks raises the risk of heart disease.

REACTION- Year-round summer time? “We should look into permanently adopting daylight saving,”Rep. Mohamed Abou El Enein said, pointing at Morocco, which is on daylight saving time permanently except for Ramadan, when it sets clocks back an hour. He said that such a move would help us cut back on our energy use while not messing with our biological clocks. Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 4:05) had coverage. House Local Administration Committee member El Sayed Shams El Din joined El Hekaya’s Amr Adib (watch, runtime: 7:15) to defend the House’s vote.

The jury is still out internationally on whether daylight saving time “works” — for the human body and for economies.

Also approved by MPs yesterday:

  • Weather reporters, watch out:A draft law that will regulate the General Meteorological Authority got the nod. The bill will impose fines of up toEGP 5 mn on people caught spreading “fake weather news,” which lawmakers say could cost the country “bns of USD.”
  • Handing more power to the tourism federation: A draft tourism bill that would strip thepower to form and regulate tourism chambers from the tourism minister and place it in the hands of the Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF).
  • US aid for education: A USD 40 mn USAID grant, which aims at improving the employability of higher education Egyptian graduates and helping more of them to get scholarships at US universities.
  • More drilling:MPs approved four bills allowing the Oil Ministry to sign exploration agreements with foreign oil and gas companies. Ukrainian state-owned Naftagas Ukrayinyis looking to drill for oil in the Western Desert, while Eni subsidiary IEOC wants to launch oil and gas exploration at three East Mediterranean concessions: one in partnership with BP, one with state-owned EGAS, and one on its own.
  • Protecting the ozone layer:The Kigali amendment to Montreal's Protocol on Ozone Layer, which will see signatory nations, including Egypt, phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — a class of compounds that have damaging effects on the ozone layer.

What’s next: All of the bills will shortly be signed into law by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

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