Sami Mekheimar, a director of Egypt’s nuclear research facility at Anshas, has threatened to submit his resignation to the Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younis because of deteriorating conditions and funding negligence at the facility.
In an official memo to the head of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Mohamed al-Qulaly, dated 14 September, Mekheimar accused al-Qulaly of failing to conduct investigations into alleged violations during the facility's renovations. Mekheimar estimated resulting losses at LE150 million.
The Anshas head also held al-Qulaly responsible for April's operational breakdown at the facility which, he claims, endangered the whole region, threatening to render it uninhabitable for decades.
Mekheimar warned that al-Qulaly's persistent neglect will lead to insoluble crises. He urged immediate action by Younis, citing blatant examples of administrative disorder in the wake of the breakdown that continued today and may lead to a serious catastrophe.
Speaking with Al-Masry Al-Youm, al-Qulaly categorically denied the accusations. He added that the renovation project was arranged through general, legal bidding.
“What Mekheimar said is untrue. Civil Defense as well as emergency committees requested fire alarms and protection systems to be installed. Technical committees considered fixing the old system ineffective because its spare parts are unavailable," said al-Qulaly. Al-Qulaly added that the renovation project's violations didn’t result in costs of LE150 million, as Mekheimar claimed. The bid was proposed by the Nuclear Research Center, not the EAEA, he also said.
Al-Qulaly denied the EAEA had requested the dismissal of the other Anshas director, Abdel Rahman al-Qafass. Al-Qulaly also pledged commitment to the Anshas facility, saying, "We are negotiating with Russia for developing the reactor.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
