Speech of the ENRRA Chairman on the sidelines of the COP27

15 November, 2022

Allow me first to express my sincere honor for addressing these distinguished participants at COP 27 among senior international institutions and government representatives.

▪ In an era, full of challenges, our cooperation is a must to achieve a common goal which is providing our people with a quality life without harming the environment.

Can you say a few words about ENRRA’s responsibilities regarding El-Dabaa project and lessons learnt from similar international projects?

▪ The Egyptian nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority like any strong independent regulator plays a key role to make sure that the nuclear installations are constructed, operated and decommissioned safely, in a way that has no negative impact on public health or environment.

▪ In 2010 the Law No.7 Regulating Nuclear and Radiological Activities was promulgated, this law sets a legal framework to regulate all the nuclear and radioactive activities in the Arab Republic of Egypt in a way that ensures safety and protection of human beings, property and environment.

▪ Law No. 211 promulgated in 2017 to amend Law No. 7 and reinforce ENRRA independence and effectiveness.

According to article 12 ENRRA has the following responsibilities:
▪ Developing and issuing regulatory requirements and rules.
▪ Issuing, modifying, suspending, renewing, withdrawal, and rescinding of all types of licenses and permits.
▪ Reviewing and assessing licensing safety related documents.
▪ Conducting regulatory inspection on all nuclear and radiological activities at all stages.

“ENRRA has now issued a permit for construction of unit 1 &2”

Lessons learnt from similar international projects
ENRRA has taken several actions to effectively respond to the evolving importance of nuclear energy, while keeping public health and safety as it’s only priority.
According to best practices and lessons learned from Fukushima Accident and as an embarking country that takes a strategic decision to introduce the nuclear power within the national energy mix, all necessary prerequisites for building strong, independent and transparent regulatory body were taken, the most important of these actions are:
1- Achieving full independence and autonomous without being isolated from our interested parties.
2- Setting clear organizational Structure with well-defined tasks and responsibilities.
3- Recruiting, developing and retaining professionals and calibers.
4- Adopting values and principles that guides ENRRA’s mission toward safety “Openness, Efficiency, Clarity and Reliability.
5- Integrated Management System that guides all procedures and processes of ENRRA.
6- Knowledge Management System that aims to support the needed knowledge localization and sharing our practice worldwide.

Question 2:

What effect do you think that EL Dabaa will have on the UN sustainable Development goals?
“We clearly understand the importance of nuclear technology in achieving UN SDGs and our role as regulator is to help our country to benefit from these technologies without having any negative consequences on humans or environment.”
▪ ENRRA’s role is to guarantee that all nuclear applications meet the highest safety standards in compliance with the Atomic Energy Agency’s safety Regulations and best international practices, but this role shall not by any means hinders sustainable development objectives.

▪ The Government of Egypt, has embarked a clear program to achieve economic and social development, a program that reflects a clear understanding for the challenges we are facing not only in Egypt but worldwide.

▪ Egypt’s vision 2030, considers energy as one of the most important pillars among ten pillars of sustainable development. The Optimal and domestic use of energy resources in addition to diversifying energy supply mix are considered the most essential elements to achieve the goals of this vision. A strategic option to enhance development plans in Egypt, is to increase the share of electricity generated from nuclear power plants in the country to 9% of the total by 2030. The operator shall work through this project to comply with the Government of Egypt Plans and vision.