CAIRO, November 19. /TASS/. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced completion of installing a key component of the nuclear power plant's safety system, the so-called "melt trap," at the fourth and final unit of the El Dabaa NPP, which is being built in the north of the country with the assistance of the Russian state corporation Rosatom.
In his speech on the occasion of Nuclear Energy Day, Madbouly congratulated the Egyptian people on "acquiring their first nuclear power plant after the official completion of installation of the melt trap at the fourth and final unit of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant on Tuesday."
According to the Prime Minister, "the current global energy crisis confirms Egypt’s right choice to embrace renewable energy sources." As Madbouly noted, "nuclear energy plays a key role in promoting sustainable development, and the El Dabaa nuclear power plant project is the foundation for realizing the long-term development goals of the Egyptian state."
El-Dabaa is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt to be built by Rosatom in the Matrouh Governorate on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea about 300 kilometers northwest of Cairo. This is Rosatom's first major project in Africa. By 2028, the state corporation will build four units of the plant with VVER-1200 reactors and will supply nuclear fuel throughout the life cycle of the NPP (60 years), as well as provide training, maintenance and repair services for 10 years after the start-up of each unit. The contract also provides for the construction of the first module of dry containerized storage of spent nuclear fuel by 2028. Egypt expects the NPP to reach full capacity by 2030.