Egyptian nuclear plant to get first fuel next year – Rosatom

The El Dabaa project enters next stage of launch preparations, CEO Aleksey Likhachev says

The first nuclear fuel shipment for Egypt’s El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, built by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, is expected to arrive in 2027, CEO Aleksey Likhachev said on Tuesday. 

Speaking to journalists in Cairo, Likhachev indicated that preparations are underway to convert the plant’s first unit into an operational nuclear facility as early as next year, paving the way for testing, commissioning, and ultimately electricity generation for Egyptian consumers by 2028.

“Our task is to turn the first unit [of the El Dabaa NPP] into a nuclear energy facility starting next year,” Likhachev said.

According to the Rosatom CEO, the construction is in “a very uplifting stage.”

Likhachev also noted that discussions were held with Egypt’s minister of electricity and renewable energy, Mahmoud Esmat, focusing on the current progress and future roadmap of the project. 

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He added that proposals had been presented to Egypt’s prime minister and received backing, while describing construction as advancing at a strong pace, with over 25,000 workers already on site and further workforce expansion expected.

El Dabaa, Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, is being built on the Mediterranean coast in Matrouh Governorate. The project includes four VVER-1200 Generation III+ reactor units, each with a capacity of 1.2 GW.  It was launched in 2017 and is being financed jointly by Moscow and Cairo, while Rosatom will supply nuclear fuel to the facility throughout its life cycle and assist the Egyptian side in training personnel and operating the plant.

The total cost of the nuclear power plant is estimated at around $28.75 billion. Russia is financing approximately 85% of the cost with a 22-year loan to Egypt with an interest rate of 3%. 

In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin called El Dabaa a “flagship project in the field of the peaceful atom” and praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his “personal initiative and support.” 

READ MORE: Putin pledges long-term backing for Egypt’s first nuclear plant

Egyptian Energy minister Esmat told RIA Novosti in September that construction work on the project is expected to be completed by 2029.