Egypt’s nuclear program may be postponed in light of the repercussions of the badly damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, said Yassin Ibrahim, Chief Executive of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority.
He added that one cannot discount the effects of the disaster in Japan because the entire world’s nuclear market is currently in disarray.
The nuclear reactor, which was hit by Japan's earthquake and tsunami, continues to release radioactive substances as workers desperately try to cool it and control the situation.
“We're analyzing the events currently and evaluating matters, and we will discuss whether we'll stop the program for a period, or freeze it, or postpone it, or discard it, because the project doesn't concern a mere individual or group, but rather the future of the entire nation,” Ibrahim said in a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm.
An international tender to establish Egypt’s first nuclear power plant was scheduled for last month, but because of widespread protests and instability, the Ministry of Electricity postponed the tender and has not announced a new date.
In an effort to counter the country’s dwindling gas and oil reserves, Egypt announced in 2007 that it would launch construction on several nuclear power stations.
The Egyptian government planned to generate enough nuclear power to satisfy 15 percent of the country’s power.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
