The Anshas nuclear reactor, located on the outskirts of Cairo, has leaked ten cubic meters of radioactive water for the second time in a year, according to Samer Mekheimar, the former director of the Nuclear Research Center’s atomic reactions department.
Mekheimar submitted a note to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, saying the leakage took place on 25 May as a result of operating the reactor without taking into account safety precautions.
He also said the Atomic Energy Agency kept the incident secret and threatened to fire the staff if they talked about it.
“The fact that the reactor was by mere chance not operated the next day saved the area from environmental disaster,” he wrote.
“All ministries were changed after the revolution, except the Ministry of Electricity and Energy,” he added. “It still kept the same minister and his deputies from the dissolved ruling party.”
Meanwhile, sources at the Nuclear Safety Authority said they were denied entry to the reactor to conduct an inspection.
Director of the Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed al-Kolaly, said that levels of radiation inside the reactor are normal, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has praised the reactor.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
