The first batch of long-lead equipment intended for the El-Dabaa NPP being built by Rosatom will be delivered by the end of March according to Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA). The reactor core melt trap for unit 1 has left St Petersburg and has begun its journey to Egypt. NPPA has commissioned a specialised sea wharf to receive units and equipment for El Dabaa. NPPA has “received all the necessary permits and licences to start operating a specialised sea wharf; the coordinates of the new berth port are officially marked on the international navigation map and registered with the International Maritime Organisation".

The El-Dabaa NPP will comprise four units with generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors. The NPP is being constructed in accordance with contracts that entered into force in December 2017 based on an inter-governmental agreement signed by Egypt and Russia in 2015. The $30bn project is mainly financed through a $25bn Russian loan. Russia will supply nuclear fuel throughout the lifecycle of the plant, arrange for the training of the Egyptian personnel, and assist in the operation and maintenance of the plant for the first 10 years. Rosatom will build a special storage facility and deliver casks for storing used nuclear fuel. Localisation of the construction of the plant will be more than 25%. Egypt expects that the nuclear power plant will reach full capacity by 2030. The reference plant for El-Dabaa is the Leningrad-II NPP.

Image courtesy of Rosatom