Egypt's Ministry of Electricity issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the government began preparing a long-term plan to expand the use of renewable energy.

"The government is currently preparing a comprehensive study of a renewable energy plan until 2050," the statement said, adding that this study is supported by the European Commission and the German Bank for Development.

The government said in September that is aims at raising the contribution of renewable energy sources such as the wind power production to 20 percent by 2020.

Egypt has witnessed an energy crisis which caused frequent interruptions of electrical current during the summer.

The clean energy plan will include wind and solar energy in the first phase and the rest of the renewable energy sources in the second phase.

The government plans to expand the use of renewable energy in the private sector as well. It had announced some regulations that encourage investment in the sources of renewable energy.

The energy company said on Monday that it began operating the first power station that belongs to the private sector in South Sinai, Egypt.

The Ministry intends to implement a number of renewable energy projects in the coming years.