BLUE News
Nuweiba power plant plans scrapped
HEPCA’s report concluded that the plant would have needed to
consume 1.3 million cubic meters of water from the sea per day to
Photo: Scuba College, Nuweiba
function. This water would then have been pumped back at higher
temperatures, as much as 9°C warmer. Such a radical temperature
hike would have had a devastating impact on the coral reefs in the
area, many of which lie within marine protected zones.
Prospective investors including the African Development Bank and
European Investment Bank have declined funding of the 320 million
US Dollars needed for the project. It is thought their decision not to
invest was heavily infl uenced by the campaign calling for plans to
be scrapped.
Nuweiba-based CDWS dive centre, African Divers, said it was
delighted to hear of the decline in funding for the project, which
will almost certainly put a halt to any plans to construct a power
plant.
A community-led campaign in the popular diving Sinai resort of
‘We are 99 per cent sure the power plant is off , based on the
Nuweiba is being hailed a success after plans to construct a 105,000
newspaper reports,’ African Divers dive centre manager told BLUE.
square-metre power plant, which conservationists said would have
‘We have not had any offi cial correspondence from the bank or the
caused untold damage on the environment, were scrapped. Early
electricity company though, and we are hoping to get this to ensure
last year, the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company put forward the
it is 100 per cent confi rmed. But it looks like Nuweiba is safe!
proposal to build a power plant, complete with 80m-high 750Mw
gas-powered turbines, in the centre of Nuweiba. ‘Nuweiba is one of the most picturesque parts of the whole
southern Sinai peninsula, has an excellent and unique tourism
Divers and marine conservationists throughout the world signed
potential, is home to two major Sinai Bedouin tribes, and has an
a petition calling a halt to the plans and backed up the campaign
almost unique, relatively undisturbed underwater marine life.’
started by businesses, dive centres and Bedouin communities in
Nuweiba. Egyptian non-government campaign group the Hurghada See details of the petition online: http://www.thepetitionsite.
Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) com/2/stop-the-destruction-of-nuweiba-and-its-coral-reefs
also commissioned a group of experts to examine the situation in
April 2009.
10 www.cdws.travel
Issue 5 March - April ‘10
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