Egypt to build its first nuclear power plant

CAIRO, February 8 (RIA Novosti)

Egypt will build its first nuclear power plant in the Mediterranean
coastal town of El-Dabaa, reviving the country’s civilian nuclear
power program after more than two decades, the El-Ahram newspaper said
on Monday.

Egyptian authorities announced in 2007 plans to build nuclear power
facilities in the country to meet the increasing demand for
electricity.

The north African state’s nuclear program was originally suspended
after the Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union in 1986.

The paper quoted Egyptian energy minister Hassan Younes as saying the
construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant would take
about 9 years. He said the decision to build the plant in El-Dabaa was
based on a report by a team of international experts.

The minister was quoted as saying the construction would cost from
$1.5 to $2 billion.

Russia, the U.S., China and the European Union support Egypt’s
peaceful nuclear program and have offered their assistance to the
country’s government.

In March 2008, during Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s visit to
Moscow, Russia and Egypt signed an agreement on cooperation in
peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The document stipulates Russia’s
right to participate in tenders to build nuclear power facilities in
Egypt.

In 2009, the Egyptian authorities officially invited Russia to
participate in a tender to build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant

Egypt, which possesses large reserves of uranium ore, has two
experimental nuclear reactors, one of which was constructed in 1958 by
the Soviet Union. The other was bought from Argentina.