Energy productivity in Egyptian industry is below international average.  Final energy consumption per unit of output  (i.e. specific energy consumption) in the most important industries is, in comparison, 10 to 50% higher in Egypt than the international average. Energy saving potentials can therefore be considered relatively high, in view that the international average is still far less efficient than the top runners with the best available technologies in the particular industries. It is estimated that industry could have produced the same output with 20% less energy in 2005, i.e. 3.2 Mtoe. The Energy Commitee reporting to the Policy Group of the National Democratic Party has proposed to set the goal to achieve this reduction in existing plants by 2020. The new plants should achieve world class energy productivity.

Energy intensive industries in Egypt with significant potential to reduce fossil fuel and electricity consumption (in brackets the %age of energy intensity above world average according to the cited Energy Commitee and the Industrial Modernization Center) are the chemical and fertilizer (21%) industries, the iron & steel (34%) and aluminum industry (10%), paper and pulp industry, the cement (11%)  and building materials industry, the glass and ceramics industry and the food  industry, closely related to the agricultural sector. The textile industry (31%) is less intensive but to be considered because of its importance in Egypt. 
There are numerous obvious possibilities to improve energy productivity, hand in hand with overall productivity and product quality. Studies to specify and quantify cost efficient of economic energy efficiency and RE potentials in industry are still scarce. 
Operating power and drives is the most widespread energy service in industry and agriculture, accounting for 60 to 80% most of the electricity consumption.  Saving potentials are significant in the motor systems, including the electrical drives and the second conversion devices like pumps, compressors,  conveyors, and the networks through which the water, air, processed materials flow, as well as the control of the operation according to requirement. 
In agriculture, the irrigation and pumping systems have significant potentials for energy and water efficiency. In addition, solar photovoltaic pumping in combination with high efficient drip irrigation systems, increasingly used in remote locations, can be applied much more widely.
Light and ambient cooling are the other ubiquitous electricity uses:  Efficient lighting including use of daylight, efficient and solar assisted HVAC systems offer options to reduce electricity consumption from the grid. 
Where heat processes are involved, steam or heat system efficiency, heat recovery and also solar assisted heat and drying or shift to biogas or other bio-residues are wide areas of reducing fossil fuel requirements substantially. 
In the production of energy services on site, increasing efficiency of the multitude of boiler reduces fossil fuel input.  Wherever sufficient heat, cooling and power demand is given or where a residue can be used as fuel, cogeneration, i.e. combined heat and power (CHP) generation reduces overall energy generation efficiency and  can be combined with cooling services.
Renewables can, and should, replace fossil fuels as a source of heat. The high solar irradiation in Egypt could be used for solar heat, but specifically from biogenic residues within the food industry as well as in the paper and pulp industries.  Good wind resources are available in Egypt, but can more effectively be provided to the industry and other users through the grid, as with concentrated solar power and hydropower.
In the specific processes of iron and steel, cement, ceramic and other industries, various EE and EE opportunities exist.