Rosatom: Nuclear Egypt – The Base of the New Urbanity

Among the latest trends that have infiltrated urbanism over the past years, smart cities have been one of the hottest issues for consideration. Middle Eastern countries with a booming economy such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt have announced their plans for building separate cities in response to different socioeconomical challenges.

According to report entitled “Smart Cities: Business Models, Technologies and Existing Projects” from the Information Technology service of IHS Technology, there will be at least 88 smart cities all over the world by 2025, up from 21 in 2013, based on the IHS definition of a smart city. While the combined Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) region represented the largest number of smart cities last year, Asia-Pacific will take over the lead in 2025.

However, no city on earth can exist without sustainable energy, in the midst of such large and ambitious projects, within the framework of which low cost and stability are the key task for entire development.

On October 16th the International Forum "Smart Cities for Sustainable Development" was held at the Skolkovo Technopark in framework of VII International Forum "Open Innovations". Two Chinese cities and eight Russian cities have become new members of the International Smart Cities Community (ISSCC), including Sarov city, Nizhny Novgorod region, where the basic platform “Smart City of Rosatom” has been implemented. These smart cities were built on the platform of nuclear infrastructure by following the nuclear concept for affordable, safe and permanent energy program, these nuclear cities managed to stand along with the most innovative and digital cities in the world. For that reason, many Arab countries seek to build atomic cities after joining the nuclear program.

"Digital nuclear city, is a city of sustainable technology, simple life management, it means more data, sensors to measure air quality, infrastructure integrity. Digital nuclear city considered as innovation to change,"- says Asmaa Hanafi, Nuclear Engineer and Researcher at Alexandria University.

And one of the advanced countries in the Middle East that paid special attention to start facing dramatic cities challenges - is Egypt. Today Egypt is preparing to start a new chapter in the history of smart cities with new intended establishment of 13 cities by international technological standards. These plans are already confirmed on implementing these projects for nearest future by the President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

Recently Egypt has shared plans for moving "New Administrative Capital" into the Matrouh coast by building a huge ecosystem in the area. The new capital is planned to be a sustainable city, housing the ministries, parliament, Egyptian Media Production City, presidential palaces, and embassies. Twenty-five 

public and private construction companies have been mandated to carry out the infrastructure projects and build the residential neighborhoods of the new capital.

One of the major steps taken towards better future is starting the construction of El Dabaa NPP in Matrouh province.  This decision was made as part of new socioeconomical strategy, which will solve the problem of increasing demand for energy. The optimal direction towards diversity in energy sources, which is in line with achieving the goals of sustainable development and the Egyptian vision 2030.

"The main function of nuclear technologies in the capacity of El Dabaa and Matrouh development, and in MENA region in general is supporting investment not only in Egypt, but in the entire Middle East, where nuclear technology contributes to solving many issues such as soil erosion, which is one of the problems that Egypt suffers from some agricultural practices and weather fluctuations. Nuclear technology plays an important role in energy supply, as well as being eco-friendly to the environment. Peaceful Nuclear is a global trend to use its applications that serve all fields. " - says Asmaa.

Developing the new urban area based on the concept of digital intelligence will allow the data management to distribute between different systems: transportation systems, water supply networks; waste management, educational institutions, health sectors and many others. These domains need a large amount of main source in form of uninterrupted energy source. Basic digital platforms such as nuclear cities effectively manage the urban infrastructure provide people with new services and opportunities. These platforms need a high navigation and power supply, as well as degree of security and storage capacity. Therefore, consuming more energy is an innovation towards the change.

Another example of how a Nuclear Power Plant can be integrated into digital and cost optimized energy - is Russia's largest data processing center (DPC) and major network data centers of the Mendeleev project, implemented near the Kalinin NPP by the Rosenergoatom Concern (infrastructure power operator, a division of Rosatom). Main benefits of such data centers lay in the minimum wholesale prices for electricity, as well as the minimized costs of technological connection, since Outdoor switchgear and substations already included.

Today smart cities are taken on the point of view by many Middle Eastern countries in response to an increasingly urbanized world with the desire to improve energy efficiency. Middle East is embarking the construction of smart cities and nuclear infrastructures that could play a complementary role in achieving purposes of each other by focusing on nuclear technologies as a sustainable source of energy and on other aspects of its technical implantation.