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The main construction phase for Unit 2 of Egypt’s 4,800 megawatt El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (El-Dabaa NPP) project has commenced with the pouring of the first concrete at the construction site, Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom said in a statement.
Amged El-Wakeel, Board Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA), said the commencement of the main construction phase for Units 1 and 2 this year is a major achievement for the El-Dabaa NPP project.
The plant consists of four units with a generating capacity equivalent to 1,200 MW per unit using generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors (pressurised water reactors).
The El-Dabaa plant is being constructed according to contracts that became effective on 11 December 2017, the statement said.
Russia will build the nuclear power plant and deliver nuclear fuel for its entire lifecycle, provide assistance to Egypt in personnel training, and support in the operation and servicing of the nuclear power plant for the first 10 years of its operation.
In addition, the statement said that Russia will build a special storage facility and deliver casks for storing spent nuclear fuel.
Supply of low-enriched fuel components
In a separate statement, Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP), an enterprise of TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom and the Egyptian Atomic Energy Agency (EAEA) signed the contractual documents for supplies of low-enriched fuel components to Egypt.
The cooperation is based on the long-term contract for the supply of nuclear fuel components for the ETRR-2 reactor in Egypt. The product range includes uranium components and products made of aluminum alloy and aluminum powder.
The shipment will be provided in 2023.
ETRR-2, a research reactor of Argentinian design, is based at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, Egypt. It is used for research in particle physics and material studies, as well as for producing radioisotopes.
TVEL is also supplying nuclear fuel to all units of El Dabaa NPP for the entire operation period.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
