Happy New Year - No power plant in Nuweiba
Dear All
It seems that the Ministry of Electricity has finally decided to relocate Nuweiba Power Plant. Good news at the start of the New Year.
Thanks to all who helped to make this happen!
Here is the article in Arabic and a humble translation below in English: http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/article2.aspx?ArticleID=238578
Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous 2010.
Angela
AlMasry AlYoum - Egyptian Daily: 31.12.2009
«Yunis» decides to move the power station Nuweiba after the decline of European Investment Bank on the financing of the project
Albehnsawy Khalifa Jaballah and Ola Abdallah 31 / 12 / 2009
Decided that Dr. Hassan Younis, Minister of Electricity and Energy, blocking the establishment of power plant Nuweiba, and the search for another location, after the Ministry has failed to persuade the European Investment Bank to change its refusal to fund the project, and considered an official source at the Ministry, in statements to «Masry al Youm», that resolution represents a «major disaster», and would disrupt the plan for at least one year, and re procedures for obtaining the loan to the first point.
The source said that the minister was forced to issue a decision result of the continuing campaign against the project by investors Germans, Egyptians, sent complaints to the European Investment Bank to stop financing, which is called the bank to apologize for the failure to provide $ 320 million loan for the project.
The source said the minister’s decision to include continuing to negotiate with the European Bank for financing the new site, in conjunction with the search for an alternative site for the project be close to the gas pipeline, adding that the intention was to transfer the project to the plant site eyes of Moses, but the idea was canceled after the rejection of Holding Company for Natural Gas to provide gas for the new unit, pointing out that the ministry will choose an alternative location on the location of Nuweiba in a week, to accelerate the implementation of the project.
The source of the electricity sector to incur material losses, including what was spent on the preparation of various studies and comprehensive site, in addition to the sector have been forced to start the loan process from the beginning, which includes studies on the new site and then sent to the European Bank, which in turn would send another mission to inspect the site and study and then take action.
The source added that what happened is a waste of the efforts of the sector over the past months to get the loan «after pressure by 4 people only have tourist sites in the region», adding that the station was part of the state plan for the development of Sinai and secure electricity supply for South Sinai governorate, in order to rely on power station in its territory, rather than relying on electricity from the west of the canal, adding that the project would have been about 4 thousands of jobs and attract investments worth 4 billion pounds, in addition to the resettlement of about 500 engineers and workers to run the station.
For his part, “said Mahmoud El-Kaissouni, Advisor to the Ministry of Tourism for the Environment, said that the government does not recognize the Law of the Environment issued in 1994 not pay any attention to the items already, earmarked a number of examples of the lack of respect for ministries and governments of this law.
He added that Kaissouni encroachment on the environment by the state, many notably: the attempt to seize the protected Giftun, and the island in front of the Nile Supreme Constitutional Court Road Maadi declared a nature reserve, and also is rare to allow fishing off the coast of Sinai, and the Petrified Forest in Maadi, which was transferred by the Ministry of Housing Land to the building, then a disaster declaration from the tourist resort of the golf courses in the Nile island of the decision of the governor of Assiut, despite the fact that the entire Nile islands as natural reserves by the prime minister.
AlKaissouni to say that the state ignores everything related to the environment and the issue of power plant Nuweiba reflect this abuse, especially as the approval of the project was without any environmental impact study, community and tourism project in the region, stressing that the station project and the duty of a national implementation, but not in the environmental sector .
He attributed one of the heads of Community Development Associations in Nuweiba - declined to be named - to halt the project study, which reward the European Investment Bank under pressure from environmental activists and investors to monitor the impact of tourism and the environmental community and the region in the state of implementation of the project, through the use of three experts in the fields of environment, tourism and community.
