The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for unit 1 of Egypt’s El Dabaa NPP has been installed at a ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi via videoconference. The event at the construction site was attended by Rosatom Director Generala Alexey Likhachev, the Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly, and Egypt’s Minister of Electricity & Renewable Energy, Mahmoud Esmat. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi also sent a video message to the event participants.
President Al-Sisi said installation of the RPV marks “a new and bright chapter” in Egypt’s nuclear programme. He noted that the milestone fulfils Egypt’s decades-long ambition to launch a peaceful nuclear energy programme. He added that Dabaa is “practical proof” that cooperation with Russia extends beyond political statements and is reflected in tangible development projects. He stressed that the plant will bolster Egypt’s energy security amid global energy instability and high fossil-fuel prices, describing the revival of the national nuclear programme as “a strategic choice to secure safe, clean and sustainable energy in support of Egypt’s Vision 2030”.
President Putin congratulated Egypt on the installationa, praising the pace of construction and Al-Sisi’s personal oversight. He said the plant will support Egypt’s growing economy and highlighted the long-standing partnership between the two countries, recalling Soviet involvement in building the Aswan High Dam.
“Installation of the reactor vessel of the first power unit is the main production event of the year at the construction site of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant,” said Likhachev. “I am truly pleased that we can celebrate Egypt’s Nuclear Energy Day with such a significant achievement, marking one of the key milestones in the construction of the first Generation III+ nuclear unit on the African continent. Work on the construction of all units is in full swing; in total, more than 30,000 people are involved on the site.”
El Dabaa NPP will comprise four units with Generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors. The NPP is being constructed in accordance with contracts that entered into force in 2017. The $30bn project is mainly financed through a $25bn Russian loan. Rosatom will supply nuclear fuel throughout the lifecycle of the plant, arrange for the training of the Egyptian personnel, and assist in the operation and maintenance of the plant for the first 10 years. The reference plant is the Leningrad-II NPP. Construction of all four units is planned for completion by 2028-2029, and Egypt expects that the NPP will reach full capacity by 2030. Under a separate contract, Russia will build special storage facilities and provide special containers for storing used nuclear fuel.
The RPV, manufactured by Rosatom’s Machine-Building Division, was delivered to the construction site on 21 October. \installationn began after the equipment passed entry control procedure with support from specialists of Rosatom’s Engineering Divisiona, representatives of the manufacturer, as well as Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plant Authority and representatives of Egypt’s supervisory authorities.
Installation took place in several technological stages. At the first stage, specialists turned and moved the 340-tonne RPV from a horizontal to a vertical position. Next, the equipment was installed in the design position in the centre of the reactor shaft. All operations were carried out using a heavy crawler crane with a lifting capacity of 2200 tonnes.
Before the ceremony, Egypt signed an order to purchase nuclear fuel for the first reactor core of unit 1 and finalixed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Rosatom. The agreement expands bilateral collaboration across multiple fields, including the nuclear sector, medical applications such as radioisotope production for cancer treatment, 3D printing technologies that serve nuclear industries, and communications.
