El Dabaa nuclear project is a leap in building modern Egypt and protecting the environment

Now that Egypt stands on the verge of fulfilling its nuclear dream, some sceptics from certain quarters are still saying that Egypt should rely on wind and solar for producing the energy of the future. Dr. Abdel Atty Salman, former head of Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt, explains why this is not the case and how the El Dabaa nuclear power plant, to be constructed by Russia’s Rosatom, will transform Egypt’s economy while preserving the environment.

When it comes to environment, it is well-known that nuclear power reactors do not emit harmful gases in any significant amounts, compared to emitted gasses from power plants relying on fossil fuels.

The most notable environmentally polluting gas is carbon dioxide, which significantly causes climate change and global warming by raising the overall global temperature. Therefore, I reaffirm that nuclear power plants were able to compensate environmental imbalance caused by harmful emissions during the period 2008-2012, and in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, which emphasizes the reduction of environmentally harmful emissions.

Protecting the environment is not a luxury, but is extremely important for mankind and ecology alike. Egypt and Rosatom have the financial capabilities and human resources to steadily and efficiently establish El Dabaa nuclear power plant. El Dabaa power plant, as a component of the Egyptian nuclear program, is considered an environmentally friendly project with a package of benefits.

Many people believe that Egypt can make use of enormous wealth of solar and wind energy it has, instead of establishing a nuclear power plant in El Dabaa. In fact, the establishment of a nuclear power plant in El Dabaa does not mean we ignore other energy resources.

Adding nuclear energy to the power equation in Egypt is some sort of diversification, in addition to advantages of nuclear energy, including but not limited to sustainability, minimal wastes, and economic benefits. The production cost of renewables are very high compared to nuclear power, while their respective production capacities are still limited. Nuclear power is considered the cheapest energy source compared to other technologies. The price for kilowatt/hour amounts at 3.2 cents, while the most expensive electricity is attributed to oil and gas, with prices reaching 11.2-13.0 cent / kWh.

Rosatom is considered one of the most advanced companies in the field of establishing and operating nuclear power plants worldwide. The company has built several nuclear power plants in Russia and other countries.

On the other hand, any company works in peaceful use of nuclear power should ensure it generates clean and sustainable energy with the lowest carbon emissions. Not only that, Rosatom takes into consideration the geological and engineering researches of the selected site, in addition to a detailed seismic map and seismic history of the area, as well as the capable faults.

The company also considers the population density and distribution around El- Dabaa area. All these studies and other factors represent the requirements for establishing nuclear power plants, and all studies conducted on the site must comply with the requirements for the establishment of nuclear plants issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

These studies are mandatory for the safety of the nuclear power plant during establishment and operation and in case of any nuclear accident. These studies serve humans and environment in the site where the nuclear power plant is located. The Egyptian nuclear safety protocol will make sure all requirements needed to achieve the maximum safety at El Dabaa site during construction and operation process, are met.

Egypt and Russia have a long heritage and history of technical and educational cooperation for decades, including Russia's vital contribution in the establishment of the Aswan High Dam, and the support it shows in many other fields. It is very important for Egypt to benefit from knowledge and technology transfer through bilateral cooperation with Russia in these giant projects including El Dabaa. Equally important is the local outsourcing of technical equipment used in NPP establishment in Egypt.

The project will significantly benefit both Egypt and Russia, as Rosatom’s success in establishing El Dabaa nuclear power plant will open the doors for the company to establish similar projects in many Arab and African countries.

© Press Release 2017