The head of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA), Mohamed Ibrahim Shaker, announced that Egypt will begin establishing its first nuclear power plant in Dabaa within days, reported Egypt Independent.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi had recently met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano, underlining Egypt’s seriousness in building a nuclear reactor for peaceful use and in line with international safety standards, Shaker told MENA on Saturday.

He added that the Dabaa project is the first in a series of national projects meant to realize sustainable development.

According to Daily News Egypt, President Sisi and Director Amano where both expressed interest in cooperating together in the field of nuclear power.

The President insisted the nuclear program was meant to diversify the country’s energy sources.

For his part Amano said he was eager to send a delegation from the agency to Cairo in order to assist Egypt in placing the regulatory framework needed for the establishment of the Dabaa nuclear power plant, as well as provide any kind of technical help needed.

Daily News Egypt had previously been told by Ibrahim Al-Osery, the Nuclear Affairs and Energy Adviser at the Ministry of Electricity, the project has the potential to provide up to 50% of Egypt’s electric energy capacity.

The actual implementation, however, Al-Osery added.

Preparations for nuclear power in Egypt go as far back as the 1950s under former president Abdel Nasser, he said.