The Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority* in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency organized in November a workshop based on the culture of nuclear safety and security.
The event, that involved the Ministry of Environment and the Cairo branch of the National Committee for Crisis Management and Disaster Risk Reduction was located at the National Center for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control
According to the ministry, the workshop addressed a number of issues related to nuclear security culture, the role and responsibility of the stakeholders regarding the diffusion of that culture, in addition to issues on national security issues.
Other administrations, such as the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Customs Authority, Ministry of Health, the Armed Forces, Ministry of Interior, in addition to a number of affiliated to the atomic energy authorities attended the workshop.
About Dabaa Project:
The Plant to be built will be Egypt’s first nuclear power plant.
It will be located in El-Dabaa, part of Matrouh governorate north-west of the country. El-Dabaa is considered a nuclear site as it hosted a research reactor for years.
The Plant is expected to be completed by 2022 and to start operating in 2024.
The plant includes 4 reactors which will generate a total of 4,800 megawatts.
The nuclear plant will provide up to 20,000 jobs during the construction period plus 4000 people who will be tasked with operation and maintenance of the plant.
About Egypt and Russia
Egypt and Russia signed the agreement to build the nuclear plant. Russia offered a $2.5 billion loan to Egypt for the establishment and operation of the plant.
The agreement was made with Rosatom. The company will manage the operations of the plant for 10 years including nuclear waste management, maintenance and operation.
According to the agreement, Rosatom will also establish a nuclear fuel storage facility that will provide the plant with the fuel needed during the first 10 years.
Egypt hired a British legal consultancy firm to review the agreement contracts to make sure they were balanced. reports stated that the contracts shall be concluded in June.
About Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Earlier in April 2016, during King Salman’s visit to Cairo, Egypt and Saudi Arabic signed an agreement for peaceful cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. The deal comes as an extension of the two countries already running projects of connecting power grids.
Committees within Egypt’s parliament discussed in August new cooperation agreements signed with Saudi Arabia, at the top of which is the nuclear power agreement signed during Saudi King Salman’s visit to Cairo in April.
According to a report prepared by parliament’s Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the agreement goes in line with Egypt’s laws and the constitution.
The report explains that the agreement covers important areas of cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the field of ”peaceful use of nuclear power.”
“The agreement mainly aims at exchanging expertise between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the area of nuclear power stations and creating an environment for institutional and legal cooperation between the two countries in this important field,” said the report.
The report also explains that greater cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in nuclear power generation could help the two countries meet their rapidly increasing energy needs in the coming years.
“Nuclear power generation has become a major source of energy in recent years and the two countries will use this agreement to tap the potentials of this sector,” said the report.
The report also indicated that the agreement will help provide training for Egyptian and Saudi personnel in the area of managing and operating nuclear power stations and plants.
The report disclosed that the cabinet of Saudi Arabia, headed by deputy Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Nayef, proposed in September 2015 that an agreement be signed with Egypt in the area of nuclear power generation due to Egypt’s experience in this sector.
About The Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA)
The EAEA is organized into four research centers:
- The Nuclear Research Centre (NRC)
- The Hot Laboratories and Waste Management Centre (HLWMC)
- The National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT)
- The National Centre for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control (NCNSRC)
