The program will be based on those of other countries with successful initiatives, said Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younes.

The Egyptian strategy will also take into consideration the opinions of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on nuclear power plants, Younes said.

Egyptian officials have said they will assess tender papers presented by 21 international consultants for the bidders for the construction of Egypt's first nuclear power plant by the end of the month, Xinhua news agency reported.

The plant is expected to be built at Dabba on the Mediterranean coast, west of the main harbor of Alexandria, north of Cairo.

The nuclear program plan was started last October when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak launched the establishment of nuclear plants to meet increasing energy demands.