I read an interview with Heshmat Zeineddin, former professor at Alexandria University and head of the nuclear energy department in the Alex Al-Youm supplement on 20 February. I agree with him that Egypt might soon experience an energy crisis.
We are in 2010, but have so far not decided where to build the first Egyptian nuclear plant because of disagreements with investors in the north western coast whose colleagues in Sinai managed to prevent the building of a giant electricity-generation plant in Nuweiba after the necessary funds and site were obtained. We blame this on the minister of electricity.
Lots of money was spent on preparing el-Dabaa as a nuclear site and on conducting the necessary environmental studies to establish a 900-megawatt nuclear station. More than 25 years later, only one Australian consultant has been contracted to serve as a consultant for the project, in June 2009. I know that the Australian company has finalized its studies, so why hasn’t that been announced to the Egyptian people?
I urge President Mubarak to decide on the destiny of the nuclear project because petrol is not a renewable form of energy. Only wind, the sun and uranium are renewable sources.
