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Egypt Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt's Senate to address proposed amendments to Natural Reserves Law
CAIRO – 31 May 2025: Egypt's Senate, the upper house of Parliament, is set to review proposed amendments to the law governing natural reserves during its sessions scheduled for next Monday. The discussion will focus on a comprehensive legislative update to Law No. 102 of 1983, prompted by a legislative impact study submitted by Representative Noha Ahmed Zaki, a member of the Coordination of Youth Parties and Politicians and Deputy Chair of the Senate's Energy and Environment Committee. According to Representative Zaki's study, the existing law—enacted over four decades ago—no longer meets the needs of the current environmental, economic, and social context. The law, she noted, primarily emphasized absolute environmental protection while failing to regulate the interaction with local communities or promote opportunities for sustainable development. The study highlighted several critical gaps in the current legislation, including the absence of legal frameworks for the safe and sustainable use of natural resources within reserves, inadequate penalties for environmental violations, and limited powers granted to the Environmental Affairs Agency, restricting its ability to effectively plan and manage protected areas. The report emphasized that protecting natural reserves must not come at the expense of local economic development. It recommended amending the law to allow for sustainable tourism and eco-friendly economic activities, ensure local community participation in reserve management, and introduce stricter penalties for environmental crimes. It also proposed the scientific classification of reserves, the definition of permitted uses for different species and ecosystems, and the development of flexible financing mechanisms to support long-term conservation goals. A central critique in the study was the lack of legal provisions enabling communities living within or near reserves to participate in or benefit from reserve resources. This exclusion, the study argued, has fueled tensions, led to environmentally harmful practices, and hindered prospects for local economic development. It called for a comprehensive shift in legal philosophy, moving from a model of strict environmental protection to a more integrated framework that balances environmental conservation with social and economic needs. On the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed on May 22, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad stated that Egypt is home to 30 natural reserves, covering approximately 15 percent of the country's land area. Thirteen of these reserves, she noted, have been developed for ecotourism, offering a variety of nature-based activities, including diving and mountaineering. In comments to Extra News, Minister Fouad highlighted Egypt's efforts to preserve biodiversity and maintain the delicate balance between land, sea, flora, and fauna. She also noted that several Egyptian reserves, including Wadi El-Hitan and Ras Mohammed, have been recognized on the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas—an international benchmark for effective, equitable, and enduring conservation.
Egypt Today
18-04-2025
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt to Receive First Reactor Core for Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in November
Egypt's Minister of Electricity, his delegation meet with Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev, President of Atomstroyexport Andrey Petrov, and other officials in Russia on April 18, 2025- press photo CAIRO – 18 April 2025 – Egypt is set to receive the first reactor core for its under-construction Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) this November, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy. The announcement was made during the visit of Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat to Russia, where he met with Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, and Andrey Petrov, President of Atomstroyexport. Minister Esmat confirmed that the first reactor will arrive at the Dabaa site in early November, highlighting that special procedures and preparations are underway for the delivery. During the meetings, both parties discussed progress on the next phases of the project, emphasizing their joint commitment to the agreed-upon timelines and schedules for completing all stages of the strategic power generation initiative, including integration into Egypt's unified electrical grid. Located in Matrouh Governorate on Egypt's northwestern coast, the 4.8 GW Dabaa plant is being developed in cooperation with Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom and Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA). Scheduled for full operation by 2030, the plant is expected to meet around 10 percent of Egypt's total electricity demand, generating up to 37 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Rosatom, contracted in 2015, is responsible for both the construction and the supply of nuclear fuel. In January 2025, the Egyptian House of Representatives approved the Energy and Environment Committee's report on Presidential Decree No. 515 of 2024, which ratifies a protocol amending the intergovernmental financing agreement between Egypt and Russia. The amendment secures an export loan from Moscow to support the construction of Egypt's first nuclear facility. The decree was reviewed by a joint parliamentary committee comprising members of the Energy and Environment Committee, along with representatives from the Planning and Budget, Economic Affairs, and Foreign Relations Committees. Over the course of three sessions, the committee examined the decree, its accompanying explanatory memorandum, and input from relevant government officials before recommending its approval.
Egypt Today
17-04-2025
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt's Minister of Electricity flies to Russia to discuss requirements for reactor core of the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant
CAIRO – 17 April 2025: Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat headed on Thursday to Russia to discuss the requirements needed for the nuclear reactor core in Egypt's under-construction Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Mediterranean city of Dabaa. The Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy said in a statement on Thursday that the minister will meet with Russian nuclear officials to discuss developments in the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. Additionally, Esmat will make an inspection tour of equipment factories, and will meet with Russian nuclear officials to discuss several common topics, the statement added. Located in Matrouh, northwestern Egypt, the 4.8GW plant is being developed by Russia's state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom in partnership with Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA). Expected to be fully operational by 2030, the plant will supply approximately 10 percent of Egypt's total energy needs, generating up to 37 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Rosatom, which was contracted in 2015, is responsible for constructing the plant and providing nuclearfuel. In January 2025, the Egyptian House of Representatives approved the Energy and Environment Committee's report on Presidential Decree No. 515 of 2024, which ratifies a protocol amending the government financing agreement between Egypt and Russia. The agreement secures a government export loan from Moscow to support the construction of Egypt's first nuclear power plant, El-Dabaa facility. The decree was reviewed by a joint committee that included members of the Energy and Environment Committee, as well as representatives from the Planning and Budget, Economic Affairs, and Foreign Relations Committees. During three sessions, the committee examined the decree, its explanatory memorandum, and feedback from government officials before recommending approval.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland energy reform bills focused on new power generation pass the Senate
Sen. Malcolm Augustine (D-Prince George's) confers with Senate Education, Energy and Environment Committee Chair Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery). (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) The Senate Tuesday passed a package of energy reform bills that would set in motion a variety of electricity generation projects — from solar to nuclear to natural gas — start long-term energy-supply planning efforts and give ratepayers a slight rebate. The goal, legislators say, is to eventually tamp down skyrocketing electric costs with a host of policy prescriptions — and also give residential ratepayers, on average, an $80 refund on their electric bills in the next fiscal year. 'What we know is that every dollar matters,' said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), 'and so we are doing what we have immediately available of ratepayer money and returning it to ratepayers in the most efficient way that we can, while focusing on the longer term, complex problem of increasing generation, and making it cleaner.' The bills backed by legislative leaders passed the chamber virtually untouched, but collectively garnered nearly three hours of debate. They now move to the House for consideration, with Monday's end to the legislative session looming. Ferguson said Tuesday that leaders in the two chambers are closely aligned on the bills. 'It's hard conversations, because these are really complex topics, and I think that we've really gotten to a good spot of general agreement,' Ferguson said. 'There are going to be changes here and there, things around multiyear rate plans. I think we're going to be OK.' General Assembly energy package a mixed bag for environmental groups Four Republican senators voted in favor of the broadest bill of the bunch, the Next Generation Energy Act, which included the ratepayer reimbursement, 'fast track' proceedings for new power generation facilities and an end to a controversial subsidy for trash incinerators that create energy. Sen. Justin D. Ready (R-Carroll and Frederick), the chamber's minority whip, said he'd be voting against the bill, in part because he felt it should have done more to repay ratepayers for what he called the state's flawed renewable energy policy. He argued the bill should have included further incentives for natural gas power plants, calling the fuel 'nature's gift.' But, speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday evening, Ready said there were redeeming parts of the bill. 'My vote is going to be red. I think there could be some members of my caucus that vote green, and that's a fine vote too,' Ready said. Attracting significant debate Tuesday was a bill to create uniform standards for solar projects in Maryland, including requirements that they be fenced off, set back from nearby buildings and surrounded by trees and shrubs. The bill came in response to concerns that Maryland's patchwork of varying local regulations on solar were pushing solar developers away, said Sen. Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery), chairman of the Senate's Education, Energy and the Environment Committee. 'We're retiring oil and coal plants, so we are in a bit of a pickle,' Feldman said. 'If we let every local commissioner group or city council have veto authority about any energy project anywhere in the state we're going to have even a bigger problem.' Currently, the Maryland Public Service Commission has final say on all solar projects that generate 2 megawatts or more of electricity. In other words, the state commission, which regulates utilities, can overrule local authorities to approve a solar project in a community. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE But Feldman said the bill would do something 'unprecedented' to limit the commission's broad authority: It would limit solar generating stations to 5% of 'priority preservation areas' in the state, which are lands capable of supporting agricultural or forestry operations. Republican senators expressed concerns about preserving the character of rural areas and ensuring fields aren't permanently lost to solar panels. In turn, they made several attempts to lower the 5% cap, but their efforts failed to win Democratic support. 'We're talking about utility-scale solar that is eating up much of agricultural fields and lands in especially the Eastern Shore of Maryland,' said Sen. Steve Hershey (R-Upper Shore), the minority leader. An attempt by Sen. Johnny Mautz (R-Middle Shore) to lower the cap to 2% failed, as did Hershey's proposal to start the cap at 2% before later raising it to 5% — so long as solar arrays were spread equally around the state. 'This is a very simple amendment. It's reasonable … It just says it has to be done equally around the state,' Mautz said. 'We just want to be treated fairly. That's all we want.' Republican senators also took issue with pieces of the broader energy bill proposed by leadership, the Next Generation Energy Act, although they generally agreed with the premise that the state needs more in-state energy supply to reduce consumer costs and the state's reliance on large transmission lines. When it came to light last year, a new power transmission line expected to cut through rural portions of Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties drew considerable community pushback. The proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project was necessitated in part by the retirement of Maryland coal-fired poewer plants Brandon Shores and H.A. Wagner, as well as an increase in energy demand, including from power-hungry data centers in Northern Virginia. In one amendment, Maryland Republicans proposed sending more direct relief to residential ratepayers than the expected $80 in fiscal 2026. The bill brought to the floor Tuesday would pull a one-time chunk from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which utilities pay into when they fail to comply with a state law that requires them to pay for a certain amount of renewable energy. Hershey's attempt to make consumer payments permanent failed. 'We're getting a lot of phone calls and emails. It's not because somebody's bill went up $40, but it went up multiple hundreds of dollars,' Hershey said. Lawmakers' touted electric bill refund would average $81 per household Hershey also tried to add language limiting multiyear rate plans for utilities, which let power companies propose several years of rate increases in a row. The bill that reached the Senate floor Tuesday would prevent multiyear rate plans unless they show a benefit to ratepayers. Hershey suggested eliminating the mutliyear plans altogether, arguing that the state should return to 'traditional' year-by-year ratemaking. But Democrats disagreed, arguing that multiyear ratemaking could allow utilities to save customers money by planning ahead for costs. 'If they are able to use it in the right way, we want this tool to be on the table,' said Sen. Malcolm Augustine (D-Prince George's). 'Now, what we are not going to allow is for them to then just use this as a piggy bank.' Republicans also saw an opening to try and amend the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires utilities to meet a minimum percentage of their electricity sales with renewable energy sources, for which they purchase credits from generators of approved renewable energy. The bill removes trash incinerators, also known as waste-to-energy facilities, from the list. They were added to the list in 2011. Hershey argued the Senate should lower the required renewable energy percentage by 15% — approximately the amount that incinerators contributed as of the most recent report. But Augustine disagreed, arguing that renewable energy projects coming online in the future would 'fill this gap.' 'The committee made a policy decision that the state of Maryland no longer felt that waste-to-energy was an appropriate part of the renewable energy portfolio,' Augustine said.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans worry the Devil is in the details of a Senate amendment
Sen. Mike McKay (R-Western Maryland) said cults and fringe religious groups might be recognized by a bill Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery) said was merely meant to add gender- and religion-neutral terms to state law. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Two Republican senators are worried the Devil is in the details of a bill that makes technical changes to state law, fearing it will open the door to state recognition of Satan, cults, witches, 'weirdo sects' and racists. The 18-page bill, sponsored by Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery), makes technical changes to sections of state law to make them more gender and religion neutral. Kagan's bill isn't sorcery but it did conjure up controversy after Sens. Mike McKay and Chris West raised concerns about a dozen words included in a committee amendment. Kagan said that language — 'any other religious society or congregation or any sect, order or denomination' — was merely an attempt by the Education, Energy and Environment Committee to more precisely define the term religious institution without using the word to define itself. West and McKay saw trouble, and delayed a preliminary vote on the bill until Tuesday. 'I am concerned where it says any other religious society or congregation — I'm just going to ask it, is the House of Satan, does that fall into it?' McKay (R-Western Maryland) asked. 'I don't think the House of Satan is in our code,' Kagan said during the exchange on the Senate Floor. 'There are always new religions. There are smaller religions that we may not be familiar with,' said Kagan, the vice chair of the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee. 'So, what we wanted to capture in the definition were the primary religions in the state, without doing a whole laundry list.' In a later interview, McKay said he misspoke and meant to reference The Satanic Temple. McKay also expressed concern about potential recognition of 'cult like' groups including the Zizians. Three members of that group, arrested Sunday in Allegany County, have been linked to the shooting of a federal border agent in Vermont. 'I just want to make sure that we're not … yielding to some form of a cult or whatever that may have been in the news that were arrested in Allegany County,' said McKay, who represents the county. West (R-Baltimore County) said the committee amendment seemed too expansive, and he dismissed concerns that attempts to narrow the language in it might run afoul of First Amendment protection of religion. 'Maybe what you're saying is, anybody who says I'm a church, we ought to give them official state recognition. I'm not sure we have to do that,' West said in an interview after the floor session. 'We're not impairing their right to worship freely, which is what the First Amendment is all about. 'I'm not sure exactly what the code does for churches,' he said. 'I'd have to go back and read the 100 and some references to say the purpose of this is not in any way to impair someone's right to worship freely even if you're really weird, but I'm not sure why the state of Maryland has to give an official recognition.' But Kagan said the bill merely tries to identify and replace terms like 'clergymen' and others with gender and religiously neutral terms. 'This is really just about making sure that we more accurately reflect the spiritual diversity of our state,' Kagan said on the Senate floor. The changes touch roughly 20 articles of state law. Kagan said they found 142 separate uses of the word 'church.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Really we're talking about churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, any place where people gather to pray,' Kagan said. 'And so we changed the definition, clarified the definition, and changed it in all places. We also took care, took out gendered language that said clergy man and just said member of the clergy.' McKay said his concerns arose in part from an Indiana case involving The Satanic Temple, a group based in Salem, Massachusetts, that was established in 2013 to counter what it saw as an 'intrusion of Christian values in American politics.' Since its founding, it has filed legal challenges to religious displays such as Nativity scenes on government property, often joined by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In 2015, The Satanic Temple sued Franklin County, Indiana, after the government there allowed a Nativity scene on the county courthouse grounds. Its lawsuit sought to allow other groups the opportunity to places displays on the property. The Satanic Temple was allowed to erect a representation last year of 'Baphomet' — a goat-headed man — in front of the New Hampshire State House. Government officials said they issued the permit to avoid a potential First Amendment lawsuit, according to the Miami Herald. McKay said he was concerned the committee amendment might open the door to The Satanic Temple or other groups. 'Whether you agree or you disagree about a Christmas Nativity scene being on church property, the [The Satanic Temple] was allowed to then put right next to it, a (Satanic Temple) nativity scene that, in all honesty, I felt mocked Christianity,' he said. West said he looked up the term 'faith institutions' during floor debate 'and I found some weird organizations.' 'I found, just a quick perusal, the Fellowship of ISIS,' he said. ' I found the Dianic Wicca, which is a witch organization. I found the Assembly of Christian Soldiers, which is a Ku Klux Klan organization. So would this amendment include those in the terms 'other religious society or congregation or any sect, order or denomination'?' Kagan told West the bill was an update of Maryland law that does not include formal recognition of specific religions. 'But words have meanings,' said West, an attorney. In an interview after the debate, West restated his concerns about the committee amendment and said he plans to craft his own in time for Tuesday's debate. 'The amendment would talk about churches and synagogues and Hindus and Buddhist, the major denominations, and skip the stuff about any other sect that would be one,' West said. Another possible amendment, West said, would be to define a sect as a group 'which has at least 500 members in Maryland, which would get rid of the weirdo sects.'
