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Egyptian Nuclear Specialists Are in Russia to Implement Agreement
16 February 2015
EIRNS—Yesterday, just five days after Russian President Putin and Egyptian President El-Sisi signed an agreement to cooperate in building Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, a delegation of Egyptians headed to Moscow for a week-long visit. During their stay, they will visit nuclear training centres and operating nuclear power plants near Moscow. President Putin had said in Cairo last week that if final decisions are reached, construction would start right away. The delegation includes officials from the Ministry of Electricity, along with the heads of Egypt’s nuclear authority, Atomic Energy Authority, and regulatory agency. An article in Youm7 reports that the Russians will fund 95% of the cost, which will be in the $4-5 billion range, for two reactors. A source they spoke to said that the agreement for the two plants would save Egypt billions of dollars spent on imported oil. Egypt’s oil-fuelled electricity plants consume 2 million tons of fuel per year, and routinely suffer from rolling blackouts during the summer. In November, President El-Sisi allocated the tract of land for building an urban settlement in Dabaa for the plant workers and local people, and said residents of Dabba will have priority to get jobs on the project, which was demanded by the residents of the town. Marsha Freeman |