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Egypt to import coal despite environmental concerns

Egypt appears likely to import coal for energy production, despite strong objections from the Ministry of Environmental Affairs.
A mine worker looks at stacks of coal in an open-cast steam coal mine located in the Ordos mining district, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 14, 2014. China's top producing coal province of Inner Mongolia, where Ordos is located, is in crisis. Tumbling prices, caused by weaker demand due to slowing growth in China and a flood of cheaper imports, have forced many smaller miners out of business, while some major firms are slashing wages by up to 50 percent to stem heavy losses. Picture takan March 14,

CAIRO — Egypt’s public debate over coal is still smoldering, despite another Cabinet news release supporting its use for power generation. On April 2, a statement from the prime minister’s office announced that private companies could import coal, provided they behave themselves environmentally.

The Cabinet still has to vote on the matter and opponents are digging in for a fight, but this latest notice and the huge sums of money changing hands in the cement sector imply that the importation of coal is a likely outcome.

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