Latest news with #EgyptianNuclearPowerPlantsAuthority
Egypt Independent
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Did Iran really transfer its nuclear materials? An expert explains
Following the rapid escalation between Iran and Israel, questions have been raised regarding where or not Iran was truthful about transferring its nuclear materials, or how it even did so. The US launched an attack early Sunday morning, targeting three nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump described the attack as 'successful.' Meanwhile, Reuters reported a senior Iranian source as saying that most of the highly enriched uranium at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility had been moved to an undisclosed location prior to the US attacks. The former head of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, Amjad al-Wakeel, clarified as to how Iran was able to pull this off. Special Containers and Tunnels Wakeel stated in a post on his Facebook account that despite the difficulty of conclusive confirmation without more official information, Iran transferred approximately 500 kilograms of highly enriched uranium at 60 percent, from the Fordow and Natanz sites. Nuclear materials can be transferred using special containers, via specially equipped vehicles, possibly civilian vehicles, for camouflage purposes, or through special tunnels. Regarding the International Atomic Energy Agency's cameras installed at nuclear facilities, Wakeel raised the possibility that they might be faulty, have limited access, were not fully installed, or that the agency had not received their data in real time. Monitoring Takes Time On the surveillance and reconnaissance role of satellites, the former head of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority noted that although they record images around the clock, these images require careful analysis and a specialized team, which could give Iran a margin of time to act without immediate detection. 'As for international intelligence agencies, no matter how capable they are, deception and misinformation are always possible, and no security system is completely immune to surprises. This possibility is further heightened by the reactions coming from Iran,' he explained. Wakeel concluded his post by saying, 'Ultimately, these questions remain fundamental and sensitive and reveal the need to reassess the results of the US strike.'
Egypt Independent
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Is Egypt under threat from potential nuclear radiation from Iran?
The former head of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, Amgad al-Wakil, addressed concerns over whether any nuclear fallout from Iran could impact Egypt following Israel's assault on its nuclear facilities, RT reported. In a post on his Facebook account on Friday, Wakil explained that Iran is more than 2,200 kilometers away from Egypt, a vast distance that makes it extremely unlikely that any nuclear radiation would reach Egypt. The spread of nuclear radiation does depend on several factors, he noted, such as what type of incident caused the fallout, the amount of radioactive material released, and the direction and speed of the wind. 'All these factors make any impact on Egypt completely unlikely,' he said. Attack on Iran At dawn on Friday, Israel launched a comprehensive preemptive attack to strike Iran's nuclear program. The attack resulted in the deaths of prominent commanders, including the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, and the Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, alongside several nuclear scientists. According to the Israeli military, the strikes targeted Iran's Natanz nuclear facility and damaged 'The site's underground infrastructure, which contains a multi-story enrichment hall housing centrifuges, electrical rooms, and other support infrastructure.' Israel justified the attack based on intelligence information indicating that Iran was enriching enough uranium to produce 15 nuclear weapons. Iranian television reported on Friday that there were no signs of radiation leaks following the Israeli attack on the Natanz nuclear plant. The Saudi Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority confirmed on Friday evening that radiation levels in the kingdom were normal, and that the Nuclear Emergency Operations Center was monitoring the regional situation around the clock.
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-04-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt Makes Progress in its Nuclear Energy Project
Egypt has reported significant progress in the construction of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant in the country's northwest, a project being developed in cooperation with Russia. The government announced on Tuesday that more than 20% of the project has been completed. Egypt and Russia signed a cooperation agreement on November 19, 2015, to establish the nuclear power station at a cost of $25 billion, funded through a Russian government loan. The final agreements for El-Dabaa were signed in December 2017. The plant will consist of four nuclear reactors with a total generation capacity of 4,800 megawatts, each producing 1,200 megawatts. The first reactor is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, with the remaining units coming online gradually as part of Egypt's energy mix. In its quarterly performance report, the Egyptian government stated that the project aligns with efforts to expand the peaceful use of nuclear energy within the national power grid. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi emphasized in November the importance of executing energy projects efficiently and on schedule, calling them a pillar of Egypt's development strategy. He underscored the need to adhere to the project timeline while ensuring the highest standards of execution and workforce training. Also in November, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to the project, stating that El-Dabaa would enhance renewable energy capacity and stabilize the national power grid. In early March, Russia's Atomstroyexport announced that construction on the second reactor at El-Dabaa had progressed ahead of schedule. According to the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, the second tier of the inner containment structure had been installed at the reactor building. Egypt experienced widespread power outages last summer, which ended in late July after securing sufficient fuel supplies for its power plants. The El-Dabaa project is part of Egypt's strategy to diversify its energy sources, generate electricity to meet domestic demand, and reduce reliance on imported gas and other fuels. On Tuesday, the government also announced an additional 200 megawatts of private-sector solar power capacity as part of its efforts to expand renewable energy. Officials said the move would support energy diversification and advance the country's sustainable development strategy.
