Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, during a visit to Egypt, held talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuli on the construction of the El Dabaa NPP. The meeting was also attended by Egyptian Minister of Electricity & Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat; Rosatom First Deputy Director General and President of ASE JSC Andrei Petrov; Board Chairman of Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) Amged El-Wakil; NPPA Deputy Chairman Mohamed Ramadan; and project teams.
El Dabaa NPP will comprise four units with generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors. The NPP is being constructed in accordance with contracts that entered into force in 2017. The $30bn project is mainly financed through a $25bn Russian loan. Rosatom will supply nuclear fuel throughout the lifecycle of the plant, arrange for the training of the Egyptian personnel, and assist in the operation and maintenance of the plant for the first 10 years. The reference plant for El Dabaa is the Leningrad-II NPP. Construction of all four units is planned for completion by 2028-2029 and Egypt expects that the NPP will reach full capacity by 2030. Work is underway on all four units.
Likhachev expressed gratitude to Mustafa Madbuli for his continued support of the El Dabaa project adding that he had “fruitful dialogue” with Electricity & Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat. Madbuli emphasised the importance of the El Dabaa project and its inclusion in the state plan for a mix of energy sources by expanding the use of new and renewable energy sources by 2030. He also confirmed that the Egyptian state would continue to provide all possible support to accelerate the implementation of the project in cooperation with the Rosatom.
Meanwhile, key contractor Titan-2 (part of Rosatom) said it would install melt traps at units 3&4 of the El Dabaa NPP by the end of 2024. Titan-2 Director Grigory Naginsky, during a working visit to the construction site, assessed the progress of the project and held a number of meetings with the management of the Egyptian branch of the company.
“Construction of the El Dabaa NPP is a significant project in the history of Russian-Egyptian cooperation,” said Naginsky. “The experience and expertise of our specialists make it possible to ensure high quality of work while maintaining project deadlines. By the end of the year, we plan to install melt traps at units 3&4 and then we can begin the assembly and installation of the inner containment of the reactors.”
