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Updated August 2005
Nuclear Chronology
1980s
This annotated chronology is based on the data sources that follow each entry. Public sources often provide conflicting information on classified military programs. In some cases we are unable to resolve these discrepancies, in others we have deliberately refrained from doing so to highlight the potential influence of false or misleading information as it appeared over time. In many cases, we are unable to independently verify claims. Hence in reviewing this chronology, readers should take into account the credibility of the sources employed here.
Inclusion in this chronology does not necessarily indicate that a particular development is of direct or indirect proliferation significance. Some entries provide international or domestic context for technological development and national policymaking. Moreover, some entries may refer to developments with positive consequences for nonproliferation.
Early 1980s
Egypt requests assistance from the IAEA to modernize the Inshas research reactor's aging systems and to improve its safety. [Note: The reactor is shut down until 1990.]
—Shyam Bhatia, Nuclear Rivals in the Middle East (New York: Routledge, 1988), p. 53.
1980-1982
Egypt's Atomic Power Agency establishes the Hot Laboratory and Waste Management Center (HLWMC) "to treat radioactive wastes at the national level, along with the by-products of nuclear fuel." The Center includes a small French-supplied hot cell complex for plutonium extraction research. The private French engineering company Robatel supplies the hot cells and installs them in 1982.
—Ghali Muhammad, "Egypt Enters Age of Nuclear Industry," Al-Musawwar, 3 March 1989, in "Correspondent Explores Nuclear Capabilities in Industry," FBIS, JPRS-TND-89-009, 5 May 1989; "Nuclear Research Center," The Federation of American Scientists, October 1999, <http//www.fas.org/nuke/guide/egypt/facility/nrc.htm>; Shyam Bhatia, Nuclear Rivals in the Middle East (New York: Routledge, 1988), p. 61.
26 February 1981
Egypt ratifies the NPT.
—"Multilateral Arms Regulation and Disarmament Agreements: NPT, Egypt," UN Department for Disarmament Affairs, accessed on 23 April 2003, <http://disarmament.un.org/TreatyStatus.nsf>.
19 March 1981
During his visit to Egypt, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister John Douglas Anthony states that Australia will provide Egypt with technical expertise in prospecting uranium and adds that negotiations are taking place regarding supplying Egypt with uranium until its first nuclear power plant goes online, by 1989. [Note: On 27 June 1985, the Australian parliament approved the agreement to supply Egypt with uranium.]
—"Australia's Anthony Holds Talks, Press Conference," Middle East News Agency, 19 March 1981 in FBIS, FBIS-MEA-81-054, 20 March 1981.
27 March 1981
Egypt signs a final nuclear cooperation protocol with France, which provides for construction of two 1,000MW pressurized water reactors, valued at $1 billion each at El-Dabaa near Alexandria, followed by another plant to be built at Za'frana (139km west of Alexandria). [Note: At Egypt's request, France's Framatome evaluated various sites for possible nuclear power plant construction and chose El-Dabaa (388km northwest of Cairo) as the best site.] Egypt's aspirations for the nuclear power plant are to construct a complex identical to France's Gravelines, which includes six 900MW pressurized water reactor units. France also agrees to supply nuclear fuel for at least 30 years. According to the Egyptian Minister of Electricity Mahir Abaza the two reactors are part of eight nuclear plants Egypt intends to construct by the year 2000. The first reactor is expected to begin operating in 1985 and the second in 1986.
—"Nuclear Cooperation Agreement Signed with France," Middle East News Agency, 27 March 1981, in FBIS, NC271121, 27 March 1981; "Egypt, France Sign Nuclear Agreement," Middle East News Agency, 12 February 1981, in FBIS, NC122112, 13 February 1981; "Minister Visits France for Nuclear Power Talks," Middle East News Agency, 7 December 1982, in FBIS, NC071941, 8 December 1982; Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, "Egypt and the Middle Eastern Nuclear Issue," Strategic Analysis, January 1996, p. 1388; "Egypt Pursuing Plans to Build a Nuclear Plant at El-Dabaa," Nucleonics Week, Vol. 38, No. 1, p. 1, January 2, 1997, via Lexis-Nexis, 23 January 1997.
29 June 1981
Egypt signs a bilateral agreement with the United States for "full-scope" safeguards.
—G. Henry M. Schuler (ed.), Egypt and Nuclear Technology: The "Peace Dividend," Significant Issues Series, Vol. 5, No. 9 (The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1983), p. 7.
July 1981
The acceptance of full-scope safeguards on 29 June 1981 paves the way for the peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement between Egypt and the United States. The agreement stipulates a purchase of two nuclear reactors.
—Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, "Egypt and the Middle Eastern Nuclear Issue," Strategic Analysis, January 1996, p. 1388.
September 1981
Egypt and West Germany sign an agreement for Egypt to acquire two nuclear reactors.
—Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, "Egypt and the Middle Eastern Nuclear Issue," Strategic Analysis, January 1996, p. 1388.
6 October 1981
Lieutenant Colonel Khalid al Islambuli, a member of the extremist religious group Al Jihad, assassinates president Sadat. Hosni Mubarak becomes the new president of Egypt based on a national referendum.
—"Timeline: Egypt," BBC News, 3 March 2003, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/790979.stm>.
31 March 1983
Having drawn up plans for the construction of eight 1,000MW nuclear power stations by the year 2000, Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority issues an international bid invitation for the turnkey supply of a nuclear plant consisting of two 1,000MW reactor units at El-Dabaa. [Note: None of the nuclear cooperation agreements that Egypt signs with France, Germany, and the United States move beyond paper stage, as the Western countries, led by the United States revoking its commitment to Egypt, force the latter to search for another supplier for the El-Dabaa project.]
—Sulayman Abd-Al-Azi, "Nuclear Power Viewed ‘Only Choice' of Sufficient Energy," Al-Musawwar, 13 April 1990, pp. 28-31, in "Nuclear Developments," Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Doc. Code 4640, 12 June 1990, pp. 17-20; G. Henry M. Schuler (ed.), Egypt and Nuclear Technology: The "Peace Dividend," Significant Issues Series, Vol. 5, No. 9 (The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1983), p. 12; Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, "Egypt and the Middle Eastern Nuclear Issue," Strategic Analysis, January 1996, p. 1388.
5 August 1983
The Export-Import Bank announces its refusal to provide financing for the construction of the planned nuclear power plant at El-Dabaa and the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Egypt despite the preliminary commitment of up to $200 million. The bank argues that "the proposal did not offer reasonable assurance of repayment."
—G. Henry M. Schuler (ed.), Egypt and Nuclear Technology: The "Peace Dividend," Significant Issues Series, Vol. 5, No. 9, CSIS, 1983, p. 12; John Haldane, "U.S.-Egypt Economic Ties," Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 18 March 1985, <http://www.wrmea.com/Washington-Report_org/www/html/backissues.html>.
6 December 1983
Egypt's Electricity and Energy Minister Mahir Abazah and Niger's Minister of Mines and Industry Sani Koutoubi sign an agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. [Note: Niger is a major uranium producing country.]
—"Nuclear Cooperation Agreement Signed with Niger," Middle East News Agency, 6 December 1983 in FBIS, FBIS-MEA-83-236, 7 December 1983.
November 1984
Egypt and Switzerland sign a nuclear cooperation agreement, which creates a framework in which Swiss industry would supply equipment and services for peaceful applications of nuclear energy. Some of these industry contracts include a consulting contract with Motor-Columbus to advise Egypt on its nuclear program.
—"Switzerland/Egypt," Nucleonics Week, 19 June 1986, p. 14.
1985
Egypt establishes a joint nuclear cooperation program with Pakistan and Iraq. The focus of the program is the construction of an experimental nuclear reactor at Al-Wadi Al-Jadid (southwest region of Egypt), and the establishment of a nuclear safety authority to be based in Cairo.
—Leonard S. Spector with Jacqueline R. Smith, Nuclear Ambitions the Spread of Nuclear Weapons 1989-1990 (Westview Press, 1990), p. 196-197.
June 1985
The Australian cabinet committee approves a nuclear safeguards agreement, which would open the way for sale of uranium to Egypt within two years. The agreement stipulates that if Egypt "fires a nuclear device," all uranium bought from Australia is to be returned.
—"Egypt May Get Uranium," Melbourne Overseas Services, 27 June 1985, in Worldwide Report, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 24 July 1985.
17 June 1985
Egypt and South Korea sign a protocol on technical cooperation and technology transfer in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The protocol provides for "the establishment, operation, and maintenance of electrical and nuclear energy stations," as well as the development of research and training programs.
—"Nuclear Energy Protocol Signed with South Korea," Cairo Domestic Service, 17 June 1985, in FBIS, FBIS-MEA-85-117, 18 June 1985.
11 August 1985
According to Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, Egypt's first uranium mine will begin operations at a cost of 1.8 million pounds. The report states that three more shafts will be opened in the Eastern Desert to determine the extent of uranium deposits there; uranium deposits have already been discovered in Aswan and in the northern desert. Egypt wants to use the mined uranium in the nuclear fuel for planned reactors at El-Dabaa.
—"First Uranium Mine To Begin Operation," Middle East News Agency, 11 August 1985, in FBIS, NC110828, 13 August 1985.
1986
Egypt suspends its nuclear program indefinitely after the disaster of the Chernobyl reactor explosion. Simultaneously the United States offers Egypt aid to construct conventional power stations in exchange for Egypt shelving its nuclear program, which the latter accepts.
—Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, "Egypt and the Middle Eastern Nuclear Issue," Strategic Analysis, January 1996, p. 1389.
22 November 1986
In an interview with Al-Ahram, the Chairman of Egypt's Atomic Energy Commission Mohammed Izzat Abd al-Aziz states that Egypt has signed an agreement with the IAEA for the construction of a radioactive processing plant, which would "get rid of low-level and medium-level radioactive waste, reprocess nuclear fuel, and produce certain useful materials such as uranium." He adds that Egypt should try to obtain another nuclear research reactor with a capacity of at least 15MW.
—Mahmud Al-Qanawati, "Official Interviewed on Nuclear Research," Al-Ahram, 22 November 1986, p. 3, in FBIS, FBIS-MEA-86-229, 28 November 1986.
1987
After several foreign bidders back out of negotiations to construct nuclear power plants due to lack of credit guarantees, Egypt withdraws the invitation bid to build the reactors.
—Barbara M. Gregory, "Egypt's Nuclear Program Assessing Supplier-Based and Other Developmental Constraints," Nonproliferation Review, Fall 1995, p. 25.
1987
The pilot nuclear fuel factory at Inshas Nuclear Research Center is complete. The Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority in cooperation with West Germany plans and builds the uranium dioxide fuel plant. The plant will use natural uranium extracted from mine deposits discovered in the Red Sea and the Eastern Desert.
—"Nuclear Fuel Factory Completed; Reactor Planned," Al-Ahram, 28 June 1987, p. 1; M.S. Abdel-Azim and A. Abdel-Halim, "Safety Analysis Report of Uranium Dioxide Fuel Laboratory, Nuclear Research," Kernforschungsanlage Juelich G.m.b.H. Conference, July 1987, via INIS, INIS No. 19-013648, 1989-12-29.
Late 1980s
Egyptian Army Colonel Khairat is reported to have found a source in France willing to sell 100kg of uranium, which he hoped to ship to Pakistan for enrichment. It is unknown whether Khairat was actually able to buy the uranium or to have it shipped to Pakistan for enrichment.
—Joseph S. Bermudez, "Ballistic Missile Development in Egypt," Jane's Intelligence Review, October 1992, p. 458.
1 February 1989
The Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Mahir Abazah and the Moroccan Minister of Energy and Mining sign a technical cooperation protocol for conventional and nuclear energy and the mining industries. Egypt will provide Morocco with hands-on training for technical aspects of nuclear projects, and Morocco will offer technical expertise in uranium manufacturing.
—Muhammad Al-Shamma, "Egypt, Morocco Sign Energy Protocol," Al-Akhbar (Cairo), 1 February 1989, p. 6, in "Nuclear Developments," Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 28 March 1989, p. 14.
2 August 1989
The Egyptian Nuclear Materials Authority (ENMA) begins exploration of uranium ore in several recently discovered areas of the Eastern Desert: "Jabal Qatar, (al-Mustat), al-Aridah, and Um Qar." The Ministry of Electricity also concludes contracts with Australia, Canada, and Niger for advanced mining and uranium ore development technology transfer "with the intention of providing the nuclear fuels needed for the Egyptian nuclear power-generating program, should the government agree to it."
—Faruq Abd-al-Aziz, "Agreement Signed to Develop Domestic Uranium," Al-Jumhuriyah, 2 August 1989, in FBIS, JPRS-TND-89-018, 18 September 1989.
November 1989
According to the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, Egypt begins to manufacture nuclear fuel from indigenous raw materials in a nuclear fuel plant, which was constructed with help from West Germany. Egypt's aim is to achieve self-sufficiency in manufacturing fuel for nuclear reactors.
—"Paper Cited on Local Manufacture of Nuclear Fuel," Cairo Domestic Service, 30 November 1989, in FBIS, FBIS-NES-89-234, 7 December 1989.
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