6 September 2017Gerald Butt
The country's expanding energy mix is aimed at ensuring steady electricity supply, thus minimising the risk of social unrest
Egypt is going energy mad. The country is on course soon to be self-sufficient once more in natural gas, with the mega-giant Zohr offshore gasfield due onstream in December. It's also pressing ahead with a number of renewables ventures. Now, Egypt has committed itself as well to nuclear power.
Like several other Arab countries, Egypt has been toying with the idea of a nuclear project for years without a clear notion of when and if it might proceed. In November 2015, the idea began to take shape when Egypt and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement to work together on a nuclear scheme. That was the signal for the start of negotiations between the two sides. Almost two years later the documents are all ready.
Cairo, February 22, 20:53 UTC+3
Egypt’s political thinker believes the country will face an energy catastrophe if the country abandons building the nuclear power plant
The project of nuclear power plant (NPP) construction with Russia’s participation is much more important for Egypt than return of Russian tourists, Egypt’s political thinker and international petroleum strategist Professor Tarek Heggy told TASS in an interview on Wednesday.
"The NPP construction project in El Dabaa near Alexandria is important in itself and it is a much more significant project in positive terms than return of Russian tourists to Egypt," the expert said.
"Egypt will face an energy catastrophe if the country abandons building the NPP," Heggy said. National authorities "overstate their reserves and sufficiency of such resources as oil and gas," he said. "Egypt is at a very low level in terms of oil reserves and at an average level in terms of gas reserves," the expert added.
