Egypt gearing up for nuclear power program

Egyptian interim President Adly Mansour has declared intentions to restart nuclear power project for peaceful purposes, reviving hopes that their nuclear dream might come true.

While some doubt the necessity of building nuclear reactors in a country rich with renewable power sources, such as solar and wind, others wonder if Egypt is capable of finishing such a project amid current political and economic difficulties.

"Egypt is really in bad need for this project as soon as possible," said Karim al-Adham, former chairman of the National Center for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control, citing the power shortage and declining oil reserves in Egypt.

"Even with the availability of wind and solar energy sources, Egypt needs to diversify its power sources as many countries do, including countries which are rich in fossil fuel reserves," al- Adham told Xinhua.

With all the necessary infrastructure and a team of well- trained staff for this project, Egypt should purchase the latest generations of reactors which enjoy higher level of safety, according to al-Adham.

Unable to pay for the imported fuel, Egypt recently suffered an energy crisis. However, the crisis was temporarily solved thanks to aid from neighboring Arab countries.

As a signatory of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, Egypt will have no legal problems in using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and in a transparent manner. But al-Adham cautioned that the Egyptian government should think about the 3 billion U.S. dollar cost and nearly 10 years of construction time for each reactor.

The plant, designed for generating power and desalinate water, will be built in the northern coastal town of el-Dabaa. According to local media, Minister of Electricity Ahmed Imam will meet with consulting companies in a few days to settle the time frame for the project, and then start an international bid to build four reactors.

Egypt began its nuclear ambition in 1950s and got its first 2MW nuclear reactor from Russia for research purposes in 1961. The bid to build its own nuclear reactor for generating electricity was halted after the beginning of 1967 war with Israel. Another bid was foiled in 1970s when the United States intervened the construction of the project. In 1986, a plan to revive the project was frozen after Ukraine's Chernobyl accident.

In 2006, Egypt said it would revive its civilian nuclear power program at el-Dabaa site, 150 km west of the country's second biggest city Alexandria. But the project had a blow, when local residents of Dabaa stormed the site in January 2012 and destroyed the existing infrastructure. In September 2012, local tribes from Dabaa relinquished the nuclear construction site to the Egyptian army after months of occupying the zone.

"This time I have feelings that the government is more serious about the project and this may be the reason for the president to declare it as a national project," said Ali al-Saidi, former minister of electricity and energy.

Al-Saidi said the project will not only generates power, but also help upgrade the technological level of Egypt's industry, especially local companies participating in the process.

Nabil Abdel Monaem, professor of engineering at the Cairo University, said new generations of nuclear reactors are of high level of security and the current location in Dabaa is ideal for this project.

"This location has been studied for many years. It's on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea with suitable soil, rare earthquakes and away from airports. All are ideal conditions for building reactors," Monaem said.

He hopes that Egypt can develop technologies to produce solar energy, "but still nuclear power is cheaper and affordable for the time being."