Egypt has struggled with soaring energy bills caused by high subsidies it provides on fuel for its population of 86 million. The subsidies have helped turn Egypt from a net energy exporter into a net importer over the last few years.
Egypt spent 44.8 billion Egyptian pounds ($5.9 billion) on fuel subsidies in the first half of the current fiscal year, down from 64.5 billion a year earlier, a statement from the finance ministry said.
The figures are for the six months to Dec. 31, 2014, as Egypt's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
Fuel subsidies have long weighed on Egypt's state budget and contributed to the economic stagnation that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised to tackle when he took office last May.
The government cut subsidies last summer, raising fuel prices by up to 78 percent, a move lauded by economists but criticised by some Egyptians accustomed to cheap energy.