Science and Technology Egypt and the Age of
Nuclear Power
President Mubarak asserted
to the NDP, Egypt’s intention to
revive its Nuclear Programme
President Mubarak asserted to the National Democratic
Party (NDP) Congress that Egypt intends to revive its nuclear
programme. In his address to the closing session of the NDP
Congress, held in September 2006, he confirmed Egypt's in-
tention in this regard.
It is no secret that Egypt had
started its nuclear programme
in the 1950s for some nuclear
energy usages. The first
serious and real attempt
was in 1963 by
establishing a nuclear
unit and a sea water
desalination unit in
west of Alexandria.
The second attempt was
in 1974 when the US
Presid ent Richard
Nixon suggested giving
Egypt and Israel nuclear
reactors to generate
electricity, within a unified
programme that includes
imposing international
monitoring, yet Israel
rendered the deal a failure and
deprived Egypt from
receiving the reactor.
The third attempt was in
1981 with the aim of
transferring 40 % of the
energy production in Egypt to
nuclear energy.
On March 19, 1981, few
weeks after Egypt had signed
the Nuclear Weapon Ban
Treaty, Douglas Anthony, the
Australian deputy prime
minister, announced that his
country will provide Egypt
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with technical experiences in
the field of nuclear energy. He
also said that negotiations
with Egypt will continue over
providing her with uranium
until the operation of the first
nuclear reactor. On June 27,
1985, t h e A u s t r a l i a n
parliament had endorsed the
agreement on providing Egypt
with uranium.
The Australian official's
remark coincided with signing
an agreement with France on
nuclear cooperation, including
France's assistance to Egypt to
build two 100 megawatt
reactors with a cost of LE 1
billion.
One of these reactors was
built in Ad-Dab'a near the
Mediterranean Sea coast and
the other in Az-Za'afarana.
The French experts had then
examined all the proper sites
to build the nuclear reactor
until they found that Ad-Dab'a
is, scientifically, the best
place.
Since March 31, 1983,
Egypt had started building Ad
-Dab'a reactor whose
infrastructure had cost more
than LE 30 million. It had also
asked for the assistance of
international bodies to start
this project. However, the
project failed because the
Import and Export Bank
refused to finance this
project under the pretext
that the Egyptian request did
not include enough
guarantees over paying back
the debt.
On August 11, 1985, Al-
Ahram newspaper published
an article about Egypt's will
to start the work in the first
uranium mine with a cost of
LE 1.8 million. But due to
Chernobyl disaster in 1986,
the nuclear programme was
suspended and the USA had
suggested offering aid to
Egypt to build two
traditional power stations.
Despite the fact that the
Egyptian nuclear
programme was then halted,
yet Egypt had preserved
some peaceful usages of the
nuclear energy, as she
possesses two reactors for
nuclear research and
producing isotopes for
medical and industrial
purposes and undergo all the
scientific and training
experiments and human
resources development.
The first reactor was built
in Russia. It was operated in
1960 with a capacity of 2
megawatt. This reactor was
upgraded 15 years ago so as
to cope with the state-of-the
-art nuclear technology. It is
currently operating and
owns enough fuel for a 15-
year operation.
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bigger chance to fill and
Egypt’s need empty fuels and implement
to use Nuclear all maintenance works
easily.
Power became Some simple amendments
had been introduced so that
inevitable due it can be operated safely at a
maximum capacity of 22
to the megawatt. Besides training
and education purposes, this
diminishing reactor is used in producing
Petroleum and the isotopes.
It is also used in radiating
Gas Reserves s o me i n d u s t r i a l an d
technological stones,
and the materials and requirements.
Moreover, it produces the
increasing silicon used in electronic
industries. A permanent
Consumption license to operate the reactor
with the maximum ability
Rates was offered in 2003 and
since then, it is working in
the aforementioned usages.
Along the past 46 years,
Experts from the
the age of the reactor, cadres
International Atomic Energy
capable of designing and
Agency (IAEA) paid several
contributing to the
visits to the reactor to
establishment, operation,
inspect it and make sure of
administration and
its safety.
maintenance were
Undoubtedly, as a result of
graduated. Furthermore,
the great scientific and
around 800 local and
technological advancements
international scientific
in the design, operation and
researches in the fields of
safety measures and
reactors were published.
guarantees provided for the
The second reactor was
nuclear reactors which
established in the early
completely prevents any
1990s in cooperation with
radioactive leakage, fears
Argentina. It enjoyed a vast
from the Chernobyl accident
Egyptian cooperation in
that halted the Egyptian
manufacturing some parts.
nuclear programme, have
Work in this reactor was
become a talk about history.
implemented in 1997. It
We should only know that,
works under the open heart
since the 1990s, major
system which provides a
countries such as Japan,
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Science and Technology
z

in the use of nuclear energy, Furthermore, the coal and

thus, Egypt could be prone to thermal energy stations are
an energy problem, especially expensive and have a
that a nuclear station could limited production.
not be built in less than 10 As a result of the growing
years if the financial resources industrialization and urban
and support from the highest development movement in
authority in the country are Egypt, her need of
available. electricity is annually going
Second: The latest nuclear up by 8%. This rate could
stations proved much safer as not be maintained in light of
they do not emanate carbon the oil drop by around
dioxide, the main reason 80,000 barrel/day, not to
behind global warming. mention its soaring prices
During the last five years, the worldwide.
Germany, Switzerland world had actually succeeded
and USA started to in developing the new nuclear
reconsider their fears stations so as to avoid
from nuclear reactors. accidents as that of Chernobyl
They started to offer due to the various safety
measures that prevent any
establishment licenses
or grant 20- y e a r s radioactive leakage and In 1983, Egypt
guarantee an automatic halt to
licenses for old reactors
after being technically the stations if the workers lost built ad-Dabá
improved. control over it.
Thanks to the safety
reactor whose
Many reasons behind measures, there is an
increasing trend towards
infrastructure
Egypt's decision to
revive its nuclear building nuclear stations, had cost
programme, salient of whether in the developed or
which are as follows: the developing countries, in more than LE
light of the fact that petroleum
First: Despite Egypt's
reserve of gas that and gas reserves in the whole 30 million
reaches 66 trillion cubic world are not capable of
foot, she should not meeting the increasing world
misuse such a reserve energy needs and the nuclear
in few years as it is option has become inevitable.
only sufficient for 30 Egypt is always keen on her
years. own environment and is in
Energy statistics in dire need of an increasing
Egypt show an increase energy as her oil reserves are
in the use of petroleum only enough for few years.
and gas against a retreat

52
 Thus, any development
project's cost is too much,
and money could be saved
through power generation
from safer, cheaper and
environment friendly
nuclear stations.
Third: Electricity
consumption is witnessing
an annual increase by
around 8 % and it is not
expected to reach the
required rate in the coming
two decades, as the per
capita consumption in Egypt
is still poor in comparison
with the developed
countries.
Moreover, the industrial
development is still low
despite the jump that took
place in the last two years.
The other thermal
alternatives, such as the
solar or wind energy, could
not be a strategic substitute
to cover the increasing
annual demand of 1000
megawatt, equivalent to
adding the production of a
huge nuclear station each
year.
This means that during the
coming three decades,
Egypt should build more
than the eight stations
mentioned in the Egyptian
programme which was
suspended due to Chernobyl
accident. Moreover, Egypt
has to enter strongly in the
water desalination field to
produce much water for
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Egypt possesses
Two Reactors
for conducting
Nuclear
Researches and
producing the
Isotopes for
serving the
Industrial and
Medical
Development
drinking and irrigation using
nuclear energy.
Fourth: Nowadays, the
nuclear energy is much
cheaper. Although the
building of a 1000 megawatt
nuclear station can cost $
1500 million, while the
building a thermal one of a
similar capacity only costs $
1200 million, yet the low cost
of operating a nuclear station,
in comparison with a thermal
one, covers the limited
difference in the building
costs, in addition to
protecting the environment
and atmo sphere from
pollution that causes global
warming.
Fifth: In 1987, Egypt had
also discovered a 5.7 billion
barrels oil shale that is
added to around 3.7 billion
barrels of the current oil
reserves. This oil shale
increases the importance of
nuclear energy in Egypt as
the American nuclear
engineer Charles Forsberg
from Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, had prepared a
study over the possibility of
producing thermal energy
from nuclear energy.
Forsberg clarified that the
importance of nuclear
energy comes due to two
main factors:
First: There is a great loss
in using the oil barrels to
generate electricity, and
consequently, to generate
thermal energy.
Second: Using the
traditional energy in the
separation process will lead
to eco-harmful effects as
polluting gasses emanate
during the heating process.
Finally we can definitely
say that Egypt has
appropriate infrastructure,
such as the various nuclear
safety and radioactive
monitor centers, for
realizing nuclear safety.
Such centers monitor all
nuclear activities, in
addition to the licenses of
the construction sites and
operation methods and
maintenance to the old
equipment.
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