Russia’s Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko made a visit to the construction site of the El-Dabaa NPP together with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) Dr. Amged El-Wakeel and supervisors of the El-Dabaa NPP construction project from ROSATOM and NPPA.
Russia’s Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko said: “The El-Dabaa NPP project is the largest joint project between Moscow and Cairo. Not only does it reinforce our traditional relations with dignity, but also brings them to a new strategic height. In importance, the implementation of this project is comparable to that of the Aswan Dam Hydroelectric Project, which was realised by our countries during the Soviet period. I am confident that the El-Dabaa NPP project will too be a successful demonstration of the highest professionalism by Russian and Egyptian specialists and will make a significant contribution to Egypt’s social and economic development, providing the country with clean and affordable energy for decades to come”.
The NPPA Board Chairman Dr. Amged El-Wakeel, in turn, greeted his Russian colleagues and said: “The construction of the El-Dabaa NPP is one of the most ambitious projects currently being implemented in Egypt. It is the realisation of the dream of a peaceful nuclear programme that the Egyptian people have cradled since the 20th century. In light of the station’s importance for the country’s future economic development and for its energy sovereignty, it was crucial for us to choose a reliable partner with a proven track record, and we are glad to have found such a partner in Russia, our long-time ally and friend. We are convinced that advanced Russian technologies, coupled with the Egyptian sense of diligence, will be key to the success of this grandiose project.”
The delegation also included Russia’s Trade Representative to Egypt Nikolai Aslanov, Russia’s Consul General in Alexandria Karen Vasilyan, the leadership of Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Alexandria, representatives of Rosatom’s engineering division ASE JSC, including Vice-President – Director of El-Dabaa NPP Project Grigory Sosnin and head of construction and Director for NPP Construction in Egypt, Director of the Branch in the Arab Republic of Egypt Anatoly Kovtunov, as well as Rosatom regional vice-president and director of Rosatom Middle East and North Africa Alexander Voronkov and representatives of the contractor. On the part of the customer, the delegation was accompanied by the Vice Chairman of Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plant Authority and chief curator of the El-Dabaa NPP project Mohamed Ramadan, the Vice Chairman for Engineering Projects Mohammed Youssef, the Vice Chairman for Finance and Administration Mahmoud Zidan, Legal Adviser Zakaria Abdallah, and El-Dabaa NPP construction project manager Mohamed Dviddar.
The delegation inspected the construction site of future power units and stopped by a meteorological tower and an information stand, where they were updated on the state of the project’s implementation and on upcoming construction plans. Afterwards, the delegation went to the nuclear power plant’s seaport site, which is currently under construction and will be used to transport heavy equipment to the station. There, they attended an award ceremony for Russia’s Ambassador to Egypt.
The visit ended with a tour of the NPP’s residential area. As part of this tour, the delegation saw a temporary gym, a typical residential apartment, school and kindergarten buildings, and a local sports complex, whose infrastructure it evaluated.
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The El-Dabaa NPP will be the first nuclear power plant in Egypt. It will be built in El-Dabaa city in Matrouh province on the shores of the Meditterranean, about 130 km northwest of Cairo. The El-Dabaa NPP will consist of four 1200 MW-capacity power units, each equipped with a generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactor – the latest generation nuclear NPP technology – which has already been successfully implemented in two other countries. There are four generation 3+ units operating in Russia, two at Novovoronezh NPP and two at Leningrad NPP. Outside of Russia, one VVER-1200 reactor-equipped power unit at Belarus NPP was connected to the grid in November 2020. The construction of the NPP is being carried out in accordance with the suite of contracts that entered into force on the 11th December 2017. The contracts stipulate that the Russian side will not only build the station, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for the NPP’s entire life cycle. They will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and NPP maintenance for the first 10 years of the Plant’s operation. The Russian side are also contracted to build a special storage facility and supply containers for storing spent nuclear fuel.
ROSATOM Engineering Division unites the leading nuclear companies, such as: JSC ASE EC (Nizhny Novgorod), JSC Atomstroyexport (Moscow), JSC Atomenergoproekt (Moscow) and JSC ATOMPROEKT (Saint-Petersburg) and others. The Engineering Division is the leader in terms of project portfolio and the amount of NPP projects that are constructed abroad simultaneously. About 80% of the Division's income are accounted for by foreign projects.
The Engineering Division implements design and construction projects for high-power NPPs both in Russia and abroad, renders a full range of EPC, EPC(M) services including project management and designing and develops Multi-D technologies for management of complex engineering facilities. The Engineering Division rests upon the record of achievement of the nuclear power industry in Russia and innovative state-of-the-art technologies.