The Hydrometallurgy Pilot Plant (HPP) is a hot cell laboratory complex,[citation needed] dedicated to perform bench-scale radiochemistry experiments including the separation of plutonium[5] and uranium from the spent fuel rods of the ETRR-1 research reactor and was established in 1982.
[1][2] The HPP is owned and operated by the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (AEA)[1] at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, northeast of Cairo.
[1] The HPP consists of three laboratories, the first laboratory consists of three hot cells (modules 1-3)[1] with the first module, is shielded alpha particle cell dedicated for mechanical shearing of research reactor fuel, it was unfinished due to the inability to secure the necessary export licence for the shearing equipment from the foreign vendor.
[2] HPP possess a minor plutonium processing capacity and unable to reprocess and extract weapons-grade plutonium from the spent fuel of the research reactors due to the inability to complete the facility,[1][8] however, Egypt decided to use one cell of the HPP within the framework of a project for the management of unused and orphan radioactive sealed sources,[2] which provides Egypt with the research capabilities on the back-end of nuclear fuel cycle.
[2] Therefore, between 2004 and 2006, Egypt had submitted design information for the HPP and had provide inventory change reports (ICRs) with respect to the acceptance tests.