El-Dabaa NPP

Although El Dabaa was selected as a nuclear power generation site in 1983 and a decision to construct the facility was announced in October 2007, the project development was halted due to the Egyptian revolution in 2011.

The project got momentum only after the intergovernmental agreement was signed between Russia and Egypt in 2015.
These stipulate that Rosatom will not only build the plant, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle.

It will comprise 4 VVER-1200 units, like those in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets nuclear power plant in Belarus that was connected to the grid in November 2020.

Rosatom will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the 1^st 10 years of its operation.
The Russian company is also contracted to build a special storage facility and supply containers for storing used nuclear fuel.

Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Rosatom, was awarded the EPC contract for the El Dabaa project in December 2016.
ASE is the general contractor for the project while Atomproekt, another subsidiary of Rosatom, is the general designer.
Rosatom’s TVEL will be responsible for the supply of nuclear fuel for all 4 reactors of the El Dabaa NPP.

The El-Dabaa NPP Project will be implemented in 3 main stages.

• The 1^st stage, which started in December 2017, covers a period of approximately 2.5 years and is aimed at preparing the NPP construction.
• The 2^nd stage, which starts after obtaining the construction permit, covers the construction process and comprises all works related to construction, installation, training and preparations to commence the operational tests.
• The 3^rd stage covers the commissioning and testing activities, which take place after obtaining the permit for pre-operational tests and last until preliminary handover of the unit and issuance of the operation license.

The 1^st 1.2GW unit at the site is expected to commence operations in 2026 with the 3 remaining reactors scheduled for commissioning by 2029.
At full capacity, the NPP is expected to power approximately 4 000 000 Egyptian homes accounting for nearly half of Egypt’s total electricity generation.

The project is being developed under a civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed between Russia and Egypt in 2015, as part of which the Russian state agreed to provide a $25 billion loan covering 85% of the total construction cost of the El Dabaa NPP.
Egypt is required to repay the loan amount at an annual interest rate of 3% from 2029 onwards.

The total project cost is estimated to be $30 billion, and the remaining $5 billion will be funded by Egypt through private investors.