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6511

Evaluation of Potential Hazards Associated With Qattara Depression as a National Hydropower Project in Egypt

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Last updated: 22 Jan 2023

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Abstract

THE OBJECTIVE of this paper is to evaluate, assess and study the potential  hazard associated with the proposed national hydropower project at Qattara Depression. To achieve this objective, the two elements of sustainable development of this vast area, water and power, were developed. The Old Delta lies in the Western Desert of Egypt. It begins from the west of Assiut aligning the western outskirts of El Minya and Al Faiyum and terminated by Qattara Depression in the northern portion. It is a natural depression that covers about 2% of Egypt area. The depression depth is about 134 m below the sea level.A Clean electric generation could be achieved from the net head of filling Qattara Depression. Qattara Depression has the super potentiality of generating clean hydropower during the filling period and also has a high potentiality after filling period. This hydropower can provide Egypt with future needs and could be exported to Eastern Nile countries. The hydropower generation from Qattara Depression does not need filling time, high cost building dam. Previously eleven sites comprising 76 core samples of Lower (sandstone) and Middle (limestone) Miocene age were collected from the northeastern tip of the Qattara Depression in the north of the Western Desert of Egypt. The majority of samples showed weak to very weak remnant magnetization with goethite, hematite and titan magnetite as the main magnetic carriers. However, with a careful, detailed thermal demagnetization, they yielded stable, probably primary, magnetization. The resulting overall mean direction corresponded to a palaeomagnetic which seems to agree with other known African Miocene poles. This result implies that the Qattara area has been stable at least since Early Miocene. The presence of goethite as the main magnetic carrier supports the assumption that weathering has been playing an important role in the development and shaping of the depression.  The possible site hazards associated with this project could be evaluated from different points of view, in order to give an overview to this promising project. The Qattara Depression, as a national project in Egypt, can achieve some accomplishments such as ; defending the Nile River Delta and the Mediterranean countries from the sinking or inundation of the Sea Level Rise (SLR) and reduce the cost of protecting coastal shores , generate hydroelectric power between 1000 to 2000 MW  (depending on the filling water rate ) from Qattara Depression (under the sea level by depth of -60 (MSL) in average, desalinating water in large quantities; providing new areas, particularly for the refugee in case of the sinking or inundating of some parts of the Delta, due to the (SLR); Supporting housing, fish farming, tourism, and agriculture.

DOI

10.21608/ajnsa.2018.6511

Keywords

hazard assessment, Hydropower project, Qattara depression

Authors

First Name

W.M.

Last Name

Moustafa

MiddleName

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Affiliation

Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority

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Orcid

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First Name

R.A.

Last Name

Hussien

MiddleName

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Affiliation

Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority

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City

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Orcid

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First Name

N.

Last Name

Nassar

MiddleName

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Affiliation

Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority

Email

nagwa2009200@yahoo.com

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Volume

51

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

872

Issue Date

2018-04-01

Receive Date

2017-09-20

Publish Date

2018-04-01

Page Start

58

Page End

67

Print ISSN

1110-0451

Online ISSN

2090-4258

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https://ajnsa.journals.ekb.eg/article_6511.html

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https://ajnsa.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=6511

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7

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Original Article

Type Code

455

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications

Publication Link

https://ajnsa.journals.ekb.eg/

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Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023