Third power unit construction in Egypt nuclear power plant begun
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El Dabaa nuclear power plant project, located around 320 kilometers northwest of Cairo, is based on contracts signed on December 11, 2017 with four VVER-1200 units.
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A logo of Rosatom is pictured at a trade fair event for the global nuclear community in Villepinte near Paris, France (Reuters)
The Engineering Division of the Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom confirmed on Wednesday that the third power unit of Egypt's first nuclear power plant (NPP) in the town of El Dabaa, in participation with Russia, has started.
"On the 3rd of May 2023, a technical ceremony for the pouring of the first concrete for Unit 3 of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant took place at the El-Dabaa construction site in Egypt, marking the commencement of the main construction phase for Unit 3 of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Project," Rosatom said in a statement.
On June 29, the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) approved a construction license for unit 1 of the project ahead of schedule, allowing concrete pouring for the first reactor to begin.
Read next: Egypt, Russia discuss extending bilateral cooperation
🇪🇬🇷🇺 The construction of the Ed-Dabaa nuclear power plant, the first nuclear power plant in Egypt and the first major project of Rosatom in Africa, is ahead of schedule. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov after a meeting with Egyptian President El-Sisi. pic.twitter.com/ewMaPtUQ7w
— 🅰pocalypsis 🅰pocalypseos 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 🅉 (@apocalypseos) March 20, 2023
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachov said during his visit to Cairo back in July: "The construction launch at El-Dabaa NPP unit 1 means that Egypt has joined the nuclear club", adding: "Construction of the nuclear power plant will allow Egypt to reach a new level of technology, industry, and education development. The plant will be the largest project of the Russian-Egyptian cooperation since the Aswan High Dam."
"Having its own nuclear energy industry has been a dream for the Egyptian people for more than half a century, and it is a great honor for Rosatom to make this dream come true."
The El Dabaa nuclear power plant project, located around 320 kilometers northwest of Cairo, is based on contracts signed on December 11, 2017. The plant consists of four VVER-1200 units, similar to those already in service at Russia's Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power stations, as well as Belarus' Ostrovets nuclear power plant.
On March 19, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the construction of the nuclear power plant is being carried out ahead of schedule despite current geopolitical challenges.
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Back in February, Egypt maintains an active interaction with Russia, despite Western pressure, Russian Ambassador to Cairo Georgy Borisenko affirmed, which comes after he also stated that consultations on the transition to national currencies as a means of exchange between Egypt and Russia were underway to move away from the dollar and thus "will help to avoid the arbitrariness on the part of Western countries that use their own currencies for geopolitical purposes."
