Russia began construction of the first nuclear power plant in Egypt

The construction of the first nuclear power plant by the Russian energy company Rosatom has begun on the northern coast of Egypt, according to a joint announcement by the company and the Egyptian authorities.

The nuclear power plant in El-Dabaa is the first to be built in Egypt and is planned to consist of four units, each of which will have a capacity of 1,200 MW according to the announcement posted late yesterday by the Egyptian Nuclear Energy Authority.

Egyptian Energy Minister Mohammad Shaker said the concrete pouring for the first unit marked a “historic event” for Egypt, made possible by Egyptian-Russian cooperation.

Egypt began considering the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in El-Dambaa in the 1980s. Contracts for the plant went into effect in 2017, but the start of construction was delayed for several years.

Rosatom last month received approval from the relevant Egyptian regulatory authority to begin construction of the first unit.

The announcement did not provide details on the cost or timeline of construction. In 2016, Egypt said most of the construction costs would be covered by a $25 billion Russian loan.

The nuclear plant will use pressurized water reactors, similar to those found at nuclear plants in Novovoronezh and Leningrad in Russia, and at a nuclear plant in Belarus that was connected to the grid in November 2020, the joint statement said.

Egypt has rapidly expanded its rated power density over the past decade, mainly with large gas-fired plants built by Siemens, so it now has an energy surplus and plans to start or expand electricity exports to several of its countries. Middle East.

It also seeks to increase the share of nominal power density from renewable energy sources to 40% in 2030 and 42% by 2035.