Egypt is laying the legal framework for the building of its first nuclear plant, reports Mohamed Abdel-Baky "We believe energy security is key to building a future for the country and an integral part of Egypt's national security system," said President Hosni Mubarak in his November 2007 speech announcing that Egypt was resuming its peaceful nuclear programme. A little over two years after that speech parliament finally approved a law regulating nuclear activities, giving substance to the strategic decision taken by the president. The Nuclear Activities and Radiological Regulating Law was passed on Saturday by a majority of People Assembly members after seven months of debate about the governmental bodies that will be established or re-structured to supervise the new nuclear programme. The new law mandates two bodies to run the nuclear programme. The first, and most controversial, is the Nuclear and Radiation Safeguard Authority, which will monitor all nuclear facilities, determine sites for the disposal of radioactive waste materials, provide the public with all necessary information about nuclear facilities near to their homes and conduct research and training projects on the implementation of international nuclear safety standards. The new watchdog replaces the current Nuclear Safety Authority, a department of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, the government-run body established in 1956 by president Gamal Abdel-Nasser to supervise Egypt's nuclear programme. Separating the new watchdog authority from the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority is intended to ensure it operates away from political pressure. "The Nuclear and Radiation Safeguard Authority is affiliated to the prime minister's office and its director and board members will be appointed by the president every four years. It will be given the guarantees necessary for it to be able to operate in a transparent and professional manners," Minister of Energy and Electricity Hassan Younis told parliament. Under the new law the Nuclear Electricity Plants Authority, a department of the Ministry of Energy and Electricity, is the only government authority that has the right to establish and operate nuclear plants. In approving the law legislators have taken the first step in meeting the conditions for the use of nuclear technology set out in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and in the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) safeguard guide. According to the NPT, any peaceful nuclear programme must be committed to what is commonly referred to as the 3S's -- safeguards, security and safety. Safeguards include measures to ensure there is no diversion of nuclear material from civil to military purposes. Security and safety deal with policies monitoring facilities and ensuring no leaks occur that can endanger the public. The Vienna-based nuclear watchdog (IAEA), says Younis, will have full access to Egypt's nuclear programme which "will be developed within a framework of transparency and respect for Egypt's NPT commitments". The Egyptian government announced earlier this month that it plans to build four nuclear plants by 2025, with the first to start operating in 2019. It is still unclear where the first nuclear plant will be located, though Al-Dabaa, on Egypt's North Coast, remains the most likely option despite the lobbying of influential businessmen who fear that the construction of a nuclear power station will endanger their real estate investments in nearby areas. An Australian company has been contracted by the government to identify the most suitable locations for the planned facilities. The law has been approved two months before the Review Conference of the NPT, which will be chaired by Egypt.
