A large consignment of equipment for units 1&2 of the El Dabaa NPP under construction in Egypt has been delivered to the construction site. The equipment, which arrived at the plant’s specialised port, included the 333-tonne VVER-1200 reactor vessel for unit 2, as well as four steam generators and a pressure compensator for unit 1. The total weight of the cargo was about 2000 tonnes.
Transportation was carried out by the Alexander Udalov a special vessel designed to transport goods both on inland waterways and along sea routes. This made it possible to deliver equipment from the factory berth in Volgodonsk in Russia’s Rostov region to the construction site in the shortest possible time, without the need to reload the equipment.
The El Dabaa NPP is being developed under a 2015 agreement between Egypt and Russia, with final contracts signed in 2017. The estimated cost stands at $25bn, largely financed through a Russian state loan on concessional terms. Once completed, the facility will comprise four VVER-1200 reactors with a combined capacity of 4,800 MWe. The first unit is currently scheduled to begin operations in 2028, with the remaining units planned to come online by 2030.
The unloading of the equipment took place in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Electricity & Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat, who toured the construction site. He noted that the Dabaa project is proceeding according to schedule, noting the expansion of local and international training programmes to prepare the staff needed to operate the project and highlighted the expertise gained by Egyptian companies participating in the project.
The equipment was manufactured at the Atommash plant in Volgodonsk (part of Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering Division). This delivery was the largest shipment for one nuclear power plant in the entire history of the enterprise. The reactor vessel for the second power unit, as well as for the first, was sent to the construction site in a decorative case that combines modern scientists’ ideas about the atomic model and the motives of Russian folk crafts. It has become a clear symbol of long-term partnership between countries.
Delivery of the reactor vessel for unit 2 is the result of coordinated interaction between specialists involved in all stages: from the manufacture of equipment at the plant to the organisation of complex logistics and transportation to the construction site,” said Oleg Yakovlev, Director of the Egypt branch of Atomstroyexport. “The implementation of such tasks requires a high degree of coordination and synchronisation of all processes. The consistent development of the project is ensured, among other things, through close cooperation with the Egyptian customer and a general focus on results.
In accordance with contractual obligations, the Russia is not only building the NPP but will also supply nuclear fuel throughout the entire life of the plant, as well as provide assistance to Egyptian partners in training plant personnel during the operation and maintenance phase during the first 10 years of operation of the plant. In addition, under a separate contract, Russia will build special storage facilities and provide special containers for storing used nuclear fuel.
