Maspero, the headquarters of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU), failed to broadcast any transmission to its viewers Saturday afternoon for over 30 minutes.The failure of transmission was due to a power cut that affected the entire building's functions, accompanied by a malfunction in the building's power generators.
The reason behind the power cut, which started at 4:54 p.m., remains unknown.
The Electricity Ministry spokesman, Mohamed al-Yamani, denied in a statement to the state-run Al-Ahram that the ministry was responsible for the power cut or that the cut was part of any measures to reduce the load on the power grid. He later speculated to CBC television that the disruption was caused by internal technical issues in Masperio's central Cairo complex.
On the other hand, Essam al-Amir, head of ERTU, told the state news agency MENA that the electricity cut was a result of fluctuation in the electric current feeding the board, which then channels power to the studios across the building.
As a follow up to the incident which may appear to be suspicious, or just another technical failure, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb ordered that the matter be referred to public prosecution for further investigations.
Egypt has been struggling with frequent power cuts, which reached a peak in the summer of 2014, during which the power cuts were the most frequent, each time lasting no less than an hour.