The Ministry of Electricity and Power has postponed the tender for Egypt's first nuclear station at Dabaa to mid-January in an effort to allow the state council to review its terms. Ministry spokesperson Aktham Abul Ela on Thursday said ministry officials sent the second component of the tender to the council to review it for legal deficiencies. The review will take two weeks, suggesting the tender will be ready in mid-January, he added. The ministry said the decision to delay the tender will likely have no impact on the nuclear project. Meanwhile, former head of the Atomic Energy Authority, Ezzat Abdel Aziz, criticized the slow pace of developments. Despite Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's approval of the nuclear project in 2007, the Electricity Ministry has made sluggish advancements, Abdel Aziz said. Analysts believe American multinational conglomerate General Electric's (GE) decision to no longer vie for the bid will weaken US likelihood of securing a contract. The withdrawal of GE leaves the US with one company--Westinghouse--to compete for the tender. All other nations in contention have only one company pursuing a tender. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
