Russia supplying four 1,200 MW reactors for site in north of country
Egypt has held a ceremony to mark the installation of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) at Unit 2 of the El Dabaa nuclear power station on the Mediterranean coast.
The ceremony was attended by Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly and the director-general of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev.
Rosatom is supplying four Generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor units for El Dabaa, each with an electrical capacity of 1,200 MW.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was also at the ceremony. He said that at a time of growing energy security and decarbonisation challenges, projects like El Dabaa show the important role nuclear power can play in delivering reliable, low-carbon energy.
The RPV is the core component of the reactor system at a nuclear plant. It houses the reactor core, where the controlled nuclear fission chain reaction takes place. It is designed to withstand extremely high temperatures and pressure while maintaining complete containment, and plays a critical role in ensuring the unit's safety and reliability.
During the installation operation, the RPV, weighing more than 340 tonnes, was placed at the centre of the reactor shaft using a 1,350-tonne heavy crawler crane. The installation was carried out with an accuracy of one-tenth of a millimetre.
Rosatom said the next major construction milestone at El Dabaa-2 will be the start of welding the main coolant pipeline.
Egypt’s official State Information Service said the plant will play a key role in reducing carbon emissions, mitigating the impacts of climate change, diversifying Egypt’s energy mix, strengthening energy security, and supporting the stability of the national electricity grid.
