Egypt's Dabaa nuclear plant granted site permit

The Egyptian Nuclear Plants Authority (NPPA) was granted a site permit for the building of Dabaa nuclear power plant, said head of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority Amged el Wakil on Monday. The move comes as part of preparations for setting up Egypt's first of its kind nuclear plant, he added.

He said the permit is based on reviews carried out by Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) of the site in terms of design of structures and systems and environment impact assessment.

The ENRRA also invited a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency to examine the location of the plant in terms of Site and External Events Design Review Service (SEED), taking into consideration site-specific external and internal hazards. The permit is step one before attaining a construction license.

The Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) will develop El Dabaa nuclear power plant, which will be owned and operated by the Nuclear Power Plant Authority (NPPA) of Egypt. With a nameplate capacity of 4.8GW, the plant is expected to account for up to 50% of Egypt’s power generation capacity to meet the country’s increasing demand for electricity.

It is expected to boost the country’s economy and industrial development by creating up to 50,000 jobs.