EL DABAA | El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant | $1.5 billion | On Hold | 2019

[Wust El Balad]

Originally Posted by Azmat

Nuclear power is clean and doesn't damage the environment, Egypt has plenty of places to store the waste in. Hopefully one day we can disband all our fuel power plants and replace them with nuclear power plants.

Did you see what happened with Fukushima? Japan dealt the issue with difficulty, imagine us !

[Azmat]

We don't have natural disasters, except for a few small earthquakes every now and then (hardly enough to damage the plant).

[Wust El Balad]

Radioactive material said stolen from Egyptian plant

(Reuters) - Radioactive material has been stolen from a nuclear power station on Egypt's Mediterranean coast that was the scene of violent protests last week, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported on Thursday.

A safe containing radioactive material at the Dabaa nuclear power plant, which is still under construction, was seized while another also containing radioactive material was broken open and part of its contents taken, the newspaper said.

In Vienna, an official of the U.N. nuclear agency described the items missing as "low-level radioactive sources" which had been taken from a laboratory at the construction site. He could not give any details on the nature of the stolen items.

"We are in touch with the Egyptian authorities," the official from the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Al-Ahram said the government has alerted security authorities and asked that specialized teams help in the search for the stolen material.

More than a dozen people were wounded last week when military police tried to disperse hundreds of Egyptian protesters demanding the relocation of the Dabaa plant.

Plant staff have refused to go to the site because of the deterioration in the security situation there, al-Ahram said.

About 500 Egyptians rallied in front of the plant last week to demand that the project be terminated, with some saying they had lost their land on the site.

Soldiers and the demonstrators threw stones at each other and exchanged gunfire after the protesters demolished a wall surrounding the site, a security source and witnesses said.

(Reporting by Patrick Werr; additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; editing by David Stamp)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...80I1SW20120119

If you can't secure the plant, close it and don't make it!

[Azmat]

It was stolen from a laboratory that is nonoperational.

Picture of the site:

[xAbd0o]

Nuclear power authority warns against encroachment on Dabaa site

The Nuclear Power Plants Authority warned against partaking in any legal or financial actions concerning any part of its Dabaa city site in Matrouh Governorate.

In a statement Monday, the authority warned all citizens against encroaching on the site, saying it would make them liable under state property protection laws and the Penal Code.

The Dabaa site was allocated for the establishment of electricity-generating nuclear power plants as per Presidential Decree 309/1981, according to the statement.

No person or entity may use or build on the land without the authority’s consent, and any such actions will be considered encroachment on public property, the authority said.

The authority said compensation had been disbursed for 323 buildings, or 94 percent of total compensations.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Ministry sent a detailed report on the Dabaa nuclear project to presidential staff; the report will later be presented to President Mohamed Morsy.

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news...ent-dabaa-site

I really hope they solve the dispute quickly, also we're still waiting for Morsi's go ahead

[xAbd0o]

Dabaa nuclear project awaits Parliament

An Egyptian official said that Egypt’s nuclear project is ready to be implemented but is waiting until the next parliamentary elections.

A source at the Ministry of Electricity told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Egyptian nuclear project would be launched soon as a national project. It said that the project would be a major breakthrough, especially in the production of the electricity needed for any upcoming development project.

The project, however, would have to wait for the new House of Representatives to convene, since it is the entity authorized to approve such projects.

Former Electricity Minister Mahmoud Balbaa said the ministry is “ready and waiting” for a political decision to launch the international tender for the construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant.

Residents of Dabaa, where the project is due to be constructed, have continually protested against the project.

“The problem lies in the lack of the people’s confidence in the government in general,” the source said. The land has been held from residents for years without being used for the public interest, as they originally were told.

In his opinion, granting the residents appropriate and fair compensation and explaining the benefits of the project to them would be enough to get their blessing.

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news...its-parliament

What do you reckon the decision could be?

[Azmat]

I'm hoping its a yes although I'd be lying if I said that I'm not worried about poor security and corruption, nuclear power plants are dangerous.

[xAbd0o]

good point!

Anyways I don't know where to put this, so here it is?

Egypt discovers large amounts of uranium

The Nuclear Materials Authority announced the discovery of huge amounts of uranium ore, giving a glimpse of hope for improving the country’s collapsing economy.

But while uranium extraction is expected to help develop many national industries, there are concerns about its environmental and health dangers.

Mohsen Ali Mohamadeen, head of the Nuclear Materials Authority, says the uranium was discovered in high concentrations in five main areas, included Abu Zenima in Sinai, Abu Rashid on the Red Sea, Sila in Upper Egypt, and the Gtar area, which is located 70 kilometers away from Hurghada.

“Because uranium is considered an important strategic raw material, the plan is to use it mainly as fuel for energy production,” Mohamadeen explains.

He says 14 other valuable, rare and expensive elements were found in the Abu Rashid area, including cerium, terbium and neodymium, adding that they can be used for manufacturing aircraft, medical equipment and electronics, which could help the economy “significantly.”

Mohamadeen explains that the authority first sent its planes to scan these different places and measure radiation, then organized geological trips to explore them and analyze soil samples.

However, he asserts that the researchers of the authority encountered some serious problems and difficulties. He says the team is asking the governorate to provide them with specialized mineralization centers that can provide researchers in difficult to reach areas, such as mountains, with the necessary car maintenance and camping services, as well as the necessary scientific equipment.

Mohamadeen doesn’t want people to worry about the environmental and health concerns of uranium.

“Everything has its advantages and inconveniences. Uranium is a radioactive material, but by following preventive procedures, such as using it under a shield of lead, it becomes completely safe,” he says.

The team intends to tender a bid to international companies, they say, because they need foreign expertise for the complex processes of excavating and extracting uranium.

Mohamadeen says it is very important to guarantee that Egypt will be able to make use of all uranium extracted by any of these companies. He says Niger, considered one of the leading countries in extracting uranium and other metals, sent a delegation to Egypt.

“In my opinion, it’s very important to have a cooperative program for exchanging experiences through mutual delegations between the different countries,” he says.

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news...mounts-uranium

Good stuff btw Niger can extract Uranuim while we can't? Ya fede7tek ya masr!

[Azmat]

We've never had uranium before so it's not really that surprising.

[xAbd0o]

I'm sure that we did, but in small amounts?

[Azmat]

I don't think so.