The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) warned against Egypt's reliance on coal as a source of energy, saying this will have harmful health effects despite the government's pledge to commit to the implementation of European standards.
In a report released Tuesday, the centre said that the burning of coal results in numerous diseases including chest and venereal diseases, in addition to a possible water shortage in Egypt.
In April 2015, the Egyptian cabinet adopted new standards for the use of coal in the production of cement and in power plants. Prior to that, coal's use was limited to the aluminum, iron, steel and coke industries as per the amendments made to the regulations of of a 1994 environmental affairs law.
"Even if the Egyptian government was able to duplicate European standards in the Egyptian law as it promised, it would still allow for pollution to increase beyond the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO)", says the report.
It added that the pollution percentage allowed in European standards is more than the double of that determined by WHO.
The report criticised the government's inclination to rely on coal as an energy source although it possesses large natural gas reserves.
It added that Egypt "will struggle" for going against the general policy adopted by other countries including those that possess larger coal reserves. Those countries are moving away from the use of coal in favour of using renewable energy sources that are less harmful to the environment.
The owners of Egyptian cement factories led demands to allow the use of coal as a fuel for their industry to confront the gas shortage crises that began to escalate in 2013. Despite objections from civil society, the government decided in 2014 to allow the use of coal as part of the mix of energy sources used in Egypt, comprised primarily of oil and gas.
A number of factories started depending on coal entirely, such as the Arabian Cement Company, and partially such as Suez Cement Company.
Orascom Construction,in cooperation with an Emirati company, agreed with the government to establish a coal-fueled power plant. The government also signed preliminary deals to establish similar power plants in cooperation with Kuwaiti and other UAE companies.
The ECESR's report explained that coal-fueled power plants essentially result in the population's exposure to toxic microscopic particles as well as ozone and other heavy metals.
It added that coal ash is usually stored near operating power stations which exposes residents living in nearby areas to risks that extendthrough soil and water.
The report said that contrary to the government’s claims, the negative health effects cannot be avoided through "safe use” and “clean coal".
It also warned against the government's inability to implement what is considered to be a safe use of coal especially given that "Egypt's history does not seem reassuring in terms of water pollution, industrial licenses and other areas in the Egyptian economy."
The report pointed to the risks relating to mercury emissions from coal-fueled power plants, which cause extreme health problems. It also addressed the impact of coal usage on water resources, especially the Nile River, because the use of coal in generating energy requires consuming large quantities of water.
