The contract between state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Atomstroyexport JSC, a Rosatom subsidiary, includes the construction of 80 buildings and structures at the station’s four units. KHNP will also procure and supply equipment and materials.
In July an official ceremony was held to mark the start of first concrete pouring for Unit 1 of El Dabaa, meaning the country’s first commercial nuclear plant has entered the main construction phase.
El Dabaa will have four Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors supplied by Rosatom under agreements signed in 2015 and 2017. The first unit is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2026.
In June, the Nuclear and Radiological Regulation Authority of Egypt issued the construction permit for Unit 1 of El Dabaa.
El-Dabaa, about 300 km northwest of the Egyptian capital Cairo on the country’s Mediterranean coast, will be only the second commercial nuclear project in the Arab world, following the successful implementation of the Barakah nuclear station in the United Arab Emirates.
El Dabaa will be Africa’s second nuclear power station, with the first at Koeberg in South Africa.
According to earlier reports, Russia agreed to lend Egypt $25bn for the construction of El Dabaa, which would constitute about 85% of the total cost of the project.
Under intergovernmental agreements on the project, Russia will support for the first 10 years the operation, servicing and personnel training for El Dabaa. Russia will also take care of the back-end cycle related to the plant’s operation.
