Work has begun on the construction of the internal containment (VZO – Vnutrennei Zatsitnoi Obolochk) of the reactor building at unit 2 of the El Dabaa NPP under construction in Egypt. The internal containment consists of six tiers and the first tier contains 12 large composite structural elements. Their production takes place at the production base of the El Dabaa NPP by specialists from the contracting organisation, ASE. The weight of each element ranges from 60 to 80 tonnes.
Installation of the VZO is a complex technological process, lasting about 15 hours. Installation is carried out in several stages using a heavy crane with a lifting capacity of 1350 tonnes. One unit of the first tier has now been installed in its design position.
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.
“Today we are moving to a new stage in the construction of unit 2 of the NPP in Egypt; for this, of course, a tremendous amount of work has been done by our international team,” said Alexey Kononenko, Vice President of ASE JSC and Director of the El Dabaa Construction Project. “The construction of a reactor building containment is a labour-intensive process, the result of which will be the safe operation of the future NPP. With great satisfaction I would like to note the close interaction between the Russian and Egyptian sides – today we are carrying out the simultaneous construction of all four units of the El Dabaa NPP, ensuring the comprehensive development of the NPP construction area.”
Dr Mohammed Dawidar, Project Manager of the El Dabaa NPP at the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plant Authority (NPPA), said: “Today we are witnessing the achievement of a new key milestone in the continuous progress of construction work on the construction of the El Dabaa NPP. We have begun a new stage in the construction of the second unit – we have begun installing the internal containment of the reactor building. This achievement is the result of the joint efforts of the Egyptian team, represented by the Nuclear Power Plant Authority as the customer, and the Russian team, represented by the Atomstroyexport Joint Stock Company.”
The VZO is an important element of the power unit that ensures the nuclear and environmental safety of the facility. In its final form, it will be a cylindrical reinforced concrete structure with a hemispherical dome, inside which will be the reactor and equipment of the primary circuit. In case of emergency, the VZO will prevent the release of radioactive substances into the environment.
Researched and written by Judith Perera
