Coal imports can only take place after approval from the Environment Ministry, the minister said on Tuesday as he announced the new rules Egypt has adopted on coal use.
The approval will determine the type of coal to be imported, as well as the way it is shipped, transported and stored, Minister Khaled Fahmy told state news agency MENA.
Companies wishing to use coal will present the government with environmental assessment studies and approvals will be subject to renewal every two years.
The new rules are an amendment to a law on environmental affairs and will allow the use of coal for cement, iron and steel, coke and aluminum production, and in power plants.
Egypt's Cabinet approved in April 2014 the use of coal to generate energy, a move that was seen as supportive to the cement production industry which alone consumes 10 percent of all energy used in the industry in Egypt.
Despite the energy crisis Egypt has been facing for years, the Cabinet's approval caused wide controversy both from within and outside the government.
Ever since the decision, however, cement companies have geared up to use coal.
In the upcoming period, Egypt is also expected to expand the building of power plants fueled by coal, after borrowing from financial institutions.
This content is from :Aswat Masriya
