1st reactor at Egypt's Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant to be almost ready for operation in March 2023

CAIRO – 6 March 2023: Head of the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Mohamed Dweidar stated in a phone-in Monday that the main part of the core of the first reactor had been shipped from Russia a few days ago and that it would be installed at once for the first reactor to be almost ready for operation by mid-March.

The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority announced in June the issuance of the permit to build the first reactor at Al Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant.

The request to establish the first two reactors, out of four, was submitted to the authority on January 1, 2019. Since then and until June 2021, the necessary safety report was being prepared, ensuring the availability of qualified workers, safety features in the design and site, and means of conducting safety tests.

The results of such tests are compared against the criteria of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Russia, given that Rosatom is the company implementing the project.

After the authority had ensured that the site is ready for commencing the construction and that no risks shall impact humans, environment or properties, the permit was approved.

In December 2017, Egypt and Russia signed an agreement to start work on the El Dabaa nuclear plant project.

It is noteworthy that Russia and Egypt signed in November 2015 an agreement on cooperation in the field of building and operating the first nuclear power plant in Egypt with Russian technology, worth $26 billion, to build a four-unit nuclear plant.

The agreement includes the construction of a nuclear plant in the Dabaa region, comprising 4 units, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The construction of the nuclear plant is expected to be completed within 12 years, according to the company's statement.

The project is scheduled to generate net revenues of $264 billion for the state treasury over 60 years, which is the lifespan of the reactors used at the plant.