A senior official in the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Energy Committee said he was not comfortable with the Egyptian Nuclear Stations Authority's decision to exclude Bechtel from the nuclear tender. The official, asked not to be named, said this decision may meet with reaction that may not be in favor of the project or Egypt, especially as President Mubarak will visit the United States within days. "The Australian WorleyParsons does not have experience in the establishment of nuclear plants. Australia has never established nuclear reactors, so how could we think that the Australian company is qualified to lead Egypt's nuclear project," he said.
Joseph Aikins, manager of WorleyParsons branch in Egypt, said the official's statements contradict the efficiency of the company, which is well-known worldwide. Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Aikins said the company has 20 years experience in the nuclear field in America. It is currently supervising the establishment of 6 nuclear power stations in Bulgaria, Russia and Sweden.
WorleyParsons is the only company that is able to deal with all technologies of nuclear plants, namely the Russian, American, French and Canadian in terms of planning, operation and maintenance. The company is ready to meet all demands by the Ministry of Electricity and provide all the necessary facilities to ensure that the company would win the tender.
"We are keen on winning this tender to be an extension to the 25 years experience in the Egyptian market in the fields of electricity and petroleum," he said, disclosing that a delegation from the office of Bulgaria arrived in Cairo yesterday to negotiate.
In another context, the former chief inspector of the International Atomic Energy Agency Ibrahim al-Usiri called on President Mubarak to hold direct agreements with any nuclear state with which Egypt has balanced political relations to supervise Egypt's first-ever nuclear reactor so as to gain time and operate the project safely.
