Egyptian president hails Russian role in nuclear project
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has thanked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for Moscow’s cooperation in the construction of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
Speaking after inaugurating Egypt’s State Strategic Command headquarters in the New Capital on Saturday, he pointed to accomplishments and upcoming progress in joint projects.
“I seize this opportunity to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation for this constructive and longstanding cooperation, which continues to yield remarkable achievements in our mega-development projects,” the Egyptian leader said.
Sisi said the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the facility’s second power unit is expected within days.
“This facility will have a significant positive impact on sustainable development by delivering clean energy to power investment projects as well as services citizens need,” the president stressed.
El-Dabaa is Rosatom’s first large-scale nuclear power project in Africa. Construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant has been underway since 2015 under a Russian-Egyptian intergovernmental agreement. The facility will include four VVER-1200 reactors with a combined capacity of 4,800MW. According to Rosatom, the plant will supply electricity to around 20 million people.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $28.75 billion. Russia is financing about 85% of the construction through a 22-year loan to Egypt carrying an annual interest rate of 3%.
Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev said in April that the first shipment of nuclear fuel for El-Dabaa is expected to arrive in 2027. He also said preparations are underway to turn the first power unit into an operational nuclear facility as early as next year, allowing testing and commissioning to begin ahead of electricity generation for Egyptian consumers in 2028.
In September, Egyptian Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat announced that construction of the project is expected to be completed by 2029.
Rosatom is also expanding its presence in Africa. On Tuesday, the company and Rwanda signed a roadmap for the development of a small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power project.
