Protesters at the nuclear power station site in Dabaa, located in the Matrouh Governorate on the North Coast, said on Thursday they would continue their sit-in and asserted that the government would not be able to force them out. Egypt's first nuclear power station is planned to be built in Dabaa, but the residents stormed the site last week, destroying many buildings and staging a sit-in. They have already built 50 houses on the site, changed its name to New Dabaa and decided to move the cattle market there. They also said they would give 1,000 square meters for free to young people who cannot afford a place to live. Dabaa residents say the government did not compensate them for the land it allocated to the project. The protesters rejected Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri's assurances that the government will go ahead with plans to build the plant on this site. Ganzouri informed ministers on Tuesday that the government will follow through with its plans to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant, said Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abouelnaga. The plant's construction site was looted and vandalized earlier this week, resulting in LE500 million in losses. There have been conflicting reports regarding the Nuclear Stations Authority committee that went to inspect the site on Thursday in order to assess the damages. It was rumored that committee members refused to enter the site upon hearing that safes containing radioactive elements were missing. However, Electricity Ministry spokesperson Aktham Aboul Ela denied that there were signs of radioactivity. “We found chemicals in two locations, but they are not hazardous,” he said.
