The role of regulatory zones in mitigating the consequences of nuclear accidents.

This paper addresses the New Alamein City and its proximity to El Dabaa nuclear power plant. It is mainly concerned with the 32 km radius of low population zone around the plant. It questions the erection of the new city and its future extension and their proximity to El Dabaa plant because nuclear safety regulations require the presence of a low population zone (100–194 inhabitants/square kilometer) around nuclear power plants. International and national regulatory standards have been revised for this purpose. Egyptian regulations for population are derived from the IAEA guides, the USNRC regulation and the Russian regulations regarding population protection zones around nuclear power plants. The research is status defining and data based, and the methodology used is the analysis of maps and documents, measurements and calculations. Data about the New Alamein City are reviewed and distances between El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the new city are measured in Google maps. Population numbers are collected, estimated, and areas and densities are calculated. Wind directions from the plant in the direction of the city are outlined. The distance between the Dabaa site and the west border of New Alamein City is 27.4kms, 4.6 km inside the recommended 32kms radius of low population zone around the plant. The intersection between that part of the city and the low population zone covers an area of 16.4 sq km. The population density of that part is 9900 inhabitants/sq km, which means that around 162,630 inhabitants may inhabit that area. The downwind from the plant reaches the lower half of the city. Recommendations are made to reduce the population density in that part of the new city lying in the downwind of the nuclear power plant and omission of future plans of extending it to the west direction. No new areas should be populated, as the density recommended for low population zone has already been exceeded. The only extension to New Alamein City can be in the east direction away from the plant. When a site is brilliant but is near highly populated areas, feasible emergency plan is key. Yet, the process of evacuation is not an easy job as the Fukushima accident has proved, even though Japan is a highly developed country, as many elderly people have died from the evacuation and fear of it, rather than from the radiation by the accident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]