or JEN) was created; its role consisted initially in an inspection of the current situation of uranium supplies both in Portugal and its overseas territories (particularly the vast mineral potential of both Angola and Mozambique in Africa). Later on, the JEN created the Laboratory for Nuclear Engineering and Physics (Laboratório de Física e Engenharia Nucleares, or LFEN), which was inaugurated in 1961 as the first Portuguese center for education and research for the benefit of both universities and industry. 1955 to 1969 In 1955 the first proposal for building a nuclear plant was made, professor Alberto Abecassis Manzanares, of the Instituto Superior Técnico, stated the importance of building an experimental low power reactor (between 5000 and 10000 kW), which would serve to gather enough experience for handling higher power reactors. In 1957, at the 2nd Portuguese Industry Meeting, Armando Gilbert presented a communication in which he underlined the importance of beginning to use nuclear energy, starting from 1965. Later on, in the first Meeting of Portuguese Technicians for Nuclear Energy, this deadline was extended by about 10 years. The first concrete step was taken in April 1958, when the Portuguese Association of Nuclear Companies (Companhia Portuguesa de Indústrias Nucleares, or CPIN) was created. CPIN was a joint venture of several companies, including the Portuguese conglomerate Companhia União Fabril (CUF). CPIN, in 1959, began to intensify the studies and to train engineers for the installation of a first pilot nuclear plant, with approximate power of 50 MWe, to be completed by 1965. Three years later it presented the preliminary studies for a 230 MWe nuclear plant equipped with a boiling water reactor. In 1964 CPIN sold its assets to the Portuguese thermo-electric company (Empresa Termoeléctrica Portuguesa, or ETP), which one year later presented a joint project with Electricity Company of Sevilla (Spain) for a nuclear plant close to the Guadiana River. In 1969, ETP presented preliminary studies regarding the choice of a site for the first Portuguese nuclear plant. From the six originally proposed locations, the final choice was between Ferrel and Sizandro. A nuclear plant was to be made operational by the end of the 1970s in Sizandro. 1970 to 1979 In 1972 the Portuguese electrical company Companhia Portuguesa de Electricidade (CPE) foresees 1979 as the year in which the first Portuguese reactor would start its activity. The plan was to build four reactors at different times between 1981 and