Following President Hosni Mubarak’s approval of Dabaa as the location for Egypt’s first nuclear station, the Nuclear Stations Authority said it will soon conduct additional on-site soil and underground water tests. WorleyParsons, the international consultant for the project, will supervise the testing, said an official source at the Ministry of Energy.
Businessmen have expressed concern that construction of a nuclear plant at Dabaa, located to the east of Marsa Matrouh on the North Coast, will have an adverse impact on tourism in the area. Earlier this month, Mohamed al-Qolali, head of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Agency (EAEA), dismissed suggestions that the surrounding area could be at risk from exposure to radiation.
WorleyParsons will conduct a detailed study of the planned nuclear station, to be built over a surface area of 40 square kilometers. The firm is currently preparing a specifications brochure and bid requirements for the project, and the government will invite international tenders for the project by the end of this year, the source added.
Egypt plans to use boiling, light, heavy or pressurized water reactors, according to the Ministry of Energy source, who added that the reactor should have a maximum capacity of 1200 megawatts to ensure the stable performance of the country’s electricity grid.
Ibrahim al-Eseiri, advisor to the Nuclear Stations Authority, said he expects the authority to grant its approval for construction by the end of this month.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
