Egypt: 1st nuclear plant site announced

Mubarak orders construction of nuclear plant on Mediterranean coast.

Bushehr Reactor 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Bushehr Reactor 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
CAIRO — Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has instructed the government to start building the country's first nuclear power plant at a site on the Mediterranean coast, ending a year of controversy.
Mubarak's decision puts an end to attempts by business tycoons with strong ties to the ruling family to build sea resorts on the el-Dabaa site. The whole coast is known for its attractive beaches.
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Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awwad said in a Wednesday statement that Mubarak reached the decision after discussions with members of the Supreme Council of Nuclear Energy.
Mubarak first announced plans to launch a number of nuclear power plants in 2007. He pledged to work closely with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency and said Egypt was not seeking to develop nuclear weapons.