The fourth melt trap (core localisation device) has been delivered to the construction site of the El Dabaa NPP under construction in Egypt. The ship transporting the trap left the Russian port of Novorossiysk in October. The total weight of the melt localisation device is more than 700 tonnes and the weight of the case 155 tonnes.
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.
Alexey Kononenko, Vice President of ASE JSC and Project Director for the construction of the El Dabaa NPP said delivery of the melt trap means that installation at unit 4 will begin very soon “I would like to note that in 2023 we installed traps at units 1&2 and in 2024 at unit 3. Installation of a trap at unit 4 this year will show the reliability of our process – two traps a year. We are successfully working on the simultaneous construction of all four power units of Egypt’s first NPP, using advanced technologies and modern engineering solutions. … We have moved from single unique projects to an industrial continuous construction method.”
