NTI: Country Overviews: Egypt: Nuclear Import/Export

Nuclear Exports

Year/Date	Countries	Items	Remarks
1955-1957	Austria, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Holland, India, Sweden, the United States, the Soviet Union, and West Germany	Missions to the mentioned countries to study nuclear research agencies
June 1956	United States	Radioisotope laboratory	The United States begins installation of the laboratory at the Inshas Nuclear Research Center.
1957	Soviet Union	Various equipment for a theoretical physics laboratory, including a Vandergraaf 2.5MW accelerator; graduate training	The transfer comes as part of a nuclear protocol signed between Egypt and the Soviet Union. The research reactor and the physics laboratory are to be located at Inshas NRC.
March 1958-February 1961	Soviet Union	2MW light water research reactor	Construction of the research reactor commences in March 1958. Reactor goes critical in February 1961.
February 1961	Soviet Union	3.2kg of 10% enriched uranium	Initial fuel for the 2MW research reactor.
1964	IAEA	Technical expertise	IAEA assistance sought for prospecting future sites for nuclear power stations.
1964	Soviet Union	Radiochemistry laboratory; hot cells	The deal is suspended sometime in 1965.
1965	Soviet Union	Nuclear arms	Alarmed by Israel's activities at Dimona Nuclear Research Center, Egypt approaches the Soviet Union to buy their nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union turns down the request. Reported by Western press.
1967	China	Nuclear arms	Having failed to secure nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union in 1965, Egypt approaches China for nuclear arms. The latter reportedly turns down the request, advising Egypt to proceed gradually and with self-dependence.
1970	India	Research in the production of heavy water, nuclear fuels; raw materials prospecting
October 1973	Soviet Union	Nuclear warheads for Scud-B missiles	Egypt imports nine Soviet launchers and approximately 18 Scud-B missiles for October 1973 War against Israel. The Soviet Union reportedly prepares to send nuclear warheads for the Scud-B to Egypt in response to Israel's deployment of nuclear weapons.
November 1974	Soviet Union	460MW nuclear reactor	The Soviet Union agrees to provide a 460MW nuclear reactor to Egypt. The transaction never takes place.
August 1976	United States	600MW pressurized water reactor	Egypt initiates a draft purchase agreement for two power reactors with the United States and the IAEA and issues a letter of intent to Westinghouse to build the first 600MW pressurized water reactor on the Alexandrian coast. Egypt is unable to secure funding for the project.
1976	France	Upgrading Inshas research reactor; prototype fuel fabrication plant at Inshas	Having agreed initially to the deal, France backs off under US pressure.
Early 1980s	IAEA	Modernizing Inshas research reactor	The reactor is shut down until 1990.
1980-1982	France	Hot cell complex	The private French engineering company Robatel supplies the hot cell complex for plutonium extraction research and installs it in 1982 in the Hot Laboratory and Waste Management Center.
27 March 1981	France	Two 1,000MW pressurized water reactors; nuclear fuel	Part of the final nuclear cooperation protocol with France, which provides for construction of two 1,000MW pressurized water reactors (at El-Dabaa near Alexandria and at Za'frana, 139 km west of Alexandria). France also agrees to supply nuclear fuel for at least 30 years.
July 1981	United States	Two nuclear reactors	As part of nuclear cooperation agreement; reactors never constructed.
September 1981	West Germany	Two nuclear reactors	As part of nuclear cooperation agreement; reactors never constructed.
6 December 1983	Niger	Uranium?	Egypt and Niger's Minister of Mines and Industry Sani Koutoubi sign an agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. (Niger is a major uranium producing country.)
November 1984	Switzerland	Equipment and services for the nuclear industry	Part of the 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.
1985	Pakistan, Iraq	Nuclear research reactor	Part of the 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.
June 1985	Australia	Uranium	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.
17 June 1985	South Korea	Technical cooperation and technology transfer; research and training	As part of the civilian nuclear energy protocol. 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.
22 November 1986	IAEA	Radioactive processing plant	Agreement signed.
1987	West Germany	Uranium dioxide fuel plant	The fuel factory is located at Inshas NRC and uses natural uranium extracted from mine deposits in the Red Sea and the Eastern Desert.
Late 1980s	France	100kg uranium	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.
1 February 1989	Morocco	Hands-on technical training for nuclear projects; technical expertise in uranium manufacturing	Egypt will provide Morocco with hands-on training for technical aspects of nuclear projects, and Morocco will offer technical expertise in uranium manufacturing.
1990	Yugoslavia	Radiology training; Iodine-131 and Technetium-99m in-cell equipment	An Egyptian specialist is sent to France and Yugoslavia to train in the technology and application of neutron radiography. The equipment is installed at Inshas.
1990	Pakistan, Iraq, Argentina	Plutonium-producing reactor	Report not verified. Could be part of the joint nuclear cooperation agreement signed between Pakistan, Iraq, and Egypt in 1985.
1991	India	Upgrade Inshas research reactor	Egypt signs an agreement with India to increase the capacity of ETRR-1 to 5MW.
1991	Soviet Union	MGD-20 cyclotron accelerator	Agreement signed.
1992-1997	Argentina	22MW research reactor	Construction begins December 1991, reactor goes critical in 1997. The 22MW reactor is an open pool-type multipurpose reactor cooled and moderated by light water. It uses low-enriched uranium for fuel. The reactor is built entirely by the Rio Negro company, while INVAP handles the design, manufacture, installation, and start-up.
May 1998	Argentina	Fuel element pilot plant	Egypt contracts Argentina's INVAP to design and build a fuel element pilot plant to extract uranium from phosphoric acid. The plant's capacity is reportedly either 24 or 40 fuel elements per year. The main process performed in the plant includes the manufacture of U₃O₈ powder.
27 April 2001	Russia	"Nuclear equipment" to modernize and upgrade the Inshas reactor	Part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
23 January 2003	China	Technical assistance with uranium mining; uranium hexafluoride (UF₆)	According to German intelligence services, the Chinese-Egyptian agreement stipulates to Chinese assistance with mining of uranium deposits on the Sinai Peninsula and investigating the possibilities of production of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆). The information remains unconfirmed and is not corroborated by either German or US official sources. According to Egyptian officials, under the agreement, "Egyptian-origin natural uranium could be enriched to 20% or less by China using gas centrifuge plants China has set up with assistance from the Russian Federation."

Key Sources: Shyam Bhatia, Nuclear Rivals in the Middle East; "Egypt's Nuclear Weapons Program," GlobalSecurity.org; Leonard S. Spector with Jacqueline R. Smith, Nuclear Ambitions the Spread of Nuclear Weapons 1989-1990; Barbara M. Gregory, "Egypt's Nuclear Program Assessing Supplier-Based and Other Developmental Constraints," Nonproliferation Review; "Egypt's Budding Nuclear Program," The Risk Report.


	Updated July 2003

	Import Table by Date

	Export Table by Date

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