Minister of Energy and Electricity Hassan Younis has said that a bill regulating Egypt's first nuclear power stations will be discussed in cabinet next week, reports Gamal Essam El-Din "This is the final step before the bill is presented to parliament for debate," Younis told the Industry and Energy Committee of the Shura Council on Tuesday. The draft, said Younis, was the result of the combined efforts of 10 ministries and the relevant intelligence agencies and had taken more than a year to prepare. The Ministry of Electricity, he added, had conducted 17 studies since October 2006, the month in which "President Mubarak gave orders that a new programme on nuclear power plants be drawn up to help meet Egypt's energy needs in the future". Preliminary work on the draft, he continued, had taken account of the experience of 24 countries regulating their nuclear industries. "We took existing legislation as a guideline in preparing the bill and before sending it to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for scrutiny and endorsement," he said. The bill will create an independent authority to oversee safety at nuclear installations. "This will have all the powers needed to effectively monitor nuclear power stations and ensure they do not have harmful effects on the local environment," said Younis. The planned independent authority will also keep an eye on the ministries of health, oil and industry, "because these, in one way or another, are involved in all nuclear activities". Building a network of nuclear power stations remains a priority despite the recent collapse in oil prices. "In two years global growth rates will be back to normal and demand for energy will increase," argued Younis. "In light of this the nuclear option remains the most economical one for Egypt in the long run." A week before Younis's statement the Ministry of Electricity's Authority for Nuclear Power Stations dropped US construction giant Bechtel as a consultant for the country's first nuclear reactor just five months after it had been selected to oversee the project. Younis said the choice of Bechtel's replacement will take time to ensure "it complies with Egyptian laws and terms of operation". There are rumours that Australia's Worley Parsons is favourite to replace Bechtel. The consultant will be charged with identifying the most suitable locations for nuclear power plants. Currently, Younis said, five locations were being considered, Al-Dabaa (east of Marsa Matrouh), Al-Najila (west of Marsa Matrouh), a site on the southern coast of the Red Sea and two locations in the northern part of the Gulf of Suez. Younis added that the choice will depend on economic feasibility and safety factors.
