Atomic Authority inks deal to import low-enriched uranium fuel

CAIRO – 16 April 2019: The Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) signed a deal with the Fuel Company of Rosatom TVEL, per which Egypt will import low-enriched uranium fuel for the Delta-based Experimental Training Research Reactor Number 2 (ETRR-2) for material physics and science and stable isotopes production.

The signature was conducted on the sidelines of the ATOMEXPO 2019 International Forum on Monday in Sochi, Russia.

In 2014, Egypt and Russia announced their cooperation in the nuclear power field. On November 19, 2015, an agreement was finally signed between Cairo and Moscow that allows Russia to build a nuclear power plant in the Mediterranean city of Dabaa, with Russia extending a $25 billion loan to Egypt to cover the cost of construction. The loan will cover 85 percent of the plant, with Egypt funding the remaining 15 percent.

According to the deal, Russian nuclear firm Rosatom will finance and construct four third-generation reactors, with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW) each, for a total of 4,800 MW. The plant will be built on approximately 12,000 feddans and is expected to create over 50,000 job opportunities.

Nuclear energy is part of the government’s plan to diversify its energy sources to prevent any future crisis resulting from shortages in electricity.