THE Shura Council (the Upper House of the Egyptian Parliament) approved a bill clearing the way for construction of a nuclear power plant with help from international companies. The Council's Chairman Safwat el- Sherif said that the bill would enable Egypt develop peaceful nuclear power within the regulatory framework of building "a peaceful nuclear energy sector” as ordered by President Hosni Mubarak three years ago. "In 2007, Mubarak said that securing sufficient energy supplies for the nation is an integral part of national security and an important step in Egypt's proud march towards the future," el-Sherif said. He added that bill complied with regulations of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within a framework of transparency. According to the bill, if finally approved by the People's Assembly (the Lower House of the Parliament), Egypt can start building a 1,000-megawatt nuclear plant, which would cost 1.5 billion dollars. El-Sherif has lauded Mubarak for taking this peaceful nuclear initiative, which aims to diversify Egypt's energy resources and preserve its oil and gas reserves for future generations. El-Sherif added that bill would be based on experiences of other countries with successful initiatives "It has taken into consideration the opinions of local and international experts to ensure that the new law ��" the first of its kind in Egypt ��" guarantees safe nuclear usage in Egypt," el-Sherif said. The bill organises the use of nuclear energy of generating electricity as well as setting the required legal framework of operating nuclear facilities and a national watchdog authority playing its part for building them under internationally recognised safeguard systems, el-Sherif said.
