Egypt and Russia have sealed a deal to construct the first nuclear power plant, El Dabaa, in Egypt.
The president of Egypt, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and his Russian counterpart, Vladmir Putin, virtually participated in a video conference ceremony to commemorate the pouring of concrete into El Dabaa Unit 4’s foundation slab.
In July 2022, construction began, and a ceremony was held to mark the pouring of the first concrete for El Dabaa. With the construction of South Africa’s Koeberg nuclear power station almost 40 years ago, El Dabaa will be the continent’s second nuclear power plant and Egypt’s first.
The Russian national nuclear energy company Rosatom will construct the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. About 320 kilometers to the northwest of Cairo, the Rosatom-led project will comprise four VVER-1200 units, similar to those that are now in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets nuclear power plant in Belarus.
According to the terms of the 2017 bilateral agreement, Rosatom is responsible for both the plant’s construction and the lifecycle supply of Russian nuclear fuel. Additionally, it will support Egyptian partners with staff training and plant maintenance for the first ten years of operation.
Also, Rosatom has a contract to construct a unique storage facility and provide containers for the storage of radioactive waste.
President al-Sisi said it was a historic moment for the dream of all Egyptians to have nuclear power plants for peaceful purposes, emphasizing the determination to move forward along the path of development, construction, and shaping a bright future for Egypt.
“The current global energy supply situation underscored the necessity of the nuclear power generation program, which provided secure, carbon-free energy to enable Egypt to achieve its electrical demands for its economic and social development ambitions,” al-Sisi said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized his country’s commitment to modern industries and bilateral cooperation with Egypt.
“We will help create contemporary industry and qualified jobs and address social challenges. We will do this collectively since the new energy system allows for it. This is truly a flagship project in the best traditions of our bilateral cooperation,” Putin said.
The four units are being built concurrently, with work on the units starting at intervals of about six months:- the first concrete was poured for unit 3 in May 2023, for unit 2 in November 2022, and for the first unit in July 2022. By 2030, Egypt hopes to have 9% of its electricity come from nuclear power.
President of Egypt Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Egypt Mostafa Madbouly, Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt Mohamed Shaker, and Chairman of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority Amged El-Wakil were among those present in person or via video conference at the ceremony.
