Tuesday, 7 January 2025
The Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) submitted its application for a construction permit to Egypt’s Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (NRRA) in June. A series of technical meetings followed, as well as a site inspection visit at the start of December.
NPPA said the application “was supported by comprehensive documentation in accordance with Article 13 of the Executive Regulations of Law No 7 of 2010 regulating nuclear and radiological activities” with NRRA issuing the permit at its meeting on 31 December.
Amged El-Wakeel, NPPA Chairman, announcing the grant of the permit, said it was a major milestone towards the country’s first nuclear power plant.
The plan is now to begin construction of the storage facility during 2025. The NPPA said the planned used fuel storage facility “will utilise advanced dry storage technologies to safely store spent nuclear fuel for up to 100 years, adhering to the highest international safety and environmental standards. The accomplishment reflects Egypt’s leadership in the responsible and progressive implementation of its civil nuclear program, ensuring full compliance with national requirements and international standards”.
El Dabaa will be Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, and the first in Africa since South Africa’s Koeberg was built nearly 40 years ago. The Rosatom-led project, about 320 kilometres north-west of Cairo, will comprise four VVER-1200 units, like those already in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets plant in Belarus.
Under the 2017 contracts, Rosatom will not only build the plant, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle, including building a storage facility and supplying containers for storing used nuclear fuel. It will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the first 10 years of its operation.
The four units are being built almost concurrently, with first concrete at unit 1 in July 2022, followed in turn by the others, concluding with first concrete at unit 4 in January 2024. Egypt’s aim is for 9% of electricity to be generated by nuclear by 2030, which would be achieved by the commercial operation of the first two units by that time, directly displacing oil and gas.
