Russia's state-owned nuclear company Rosatom will build Egypt's first nuclear power plant, the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), on the Mediterranean coast of the North African country, according to the Russian company on Monday.
Alexey Likhachev, director general of Rosatom and Egypt's Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker signed the notices to proceed the contracts for the construction of the El Dabaa on Monday in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
According to the contracts, Rosatom will build four VVER-1200 units of the El Dabaa NPP in the Matrouh region on the Mediterranean coast, as well as supplying nuclear fuel throughout the plant's entire operational lifetime.
'This will help ensure competitive electricity pricing in Egypt over a period of 60 years,' Rosatom said.
The first unit of the El Dabaa NPP will be commissioned in 2026.
As part of yet another contract, the Russian side will construct a purpose-built storage and supply containers for storing spent fuel.
Rosatom will also aid Egypt in assisting its Egyptian partners in the operation and maintenance of the plant for the first ten years of its operation.
'The contracts we have signed are a record-breaking deal in the history of the nuclear industry. The total cost of all four contracts amounts to billions of dollars, also being the biggest non-feedstock deal in Russian history,' Likhachev was quoted as saying.
Rosatom will help Egypt develop its nuclear infrastructure, will assist in increasing the level of project localization and in driving the public acceptance of nuclear power. The company will also support Egypt in training nuclear personnel, which will take place both in Egypt and in Russia where hundreds of Egyptian students are set to undertake nuclear studies.
The construction of the El Dabaa NPP will provide stimulus for Egypt's industrial development, with the participation of several dozens of Egyptian companies for its construction.
The construction of the first unit is expected to have a localization level of at least 20 percent, while further units are planned to have an even higher percentage of localization.
By Huseyin Erdogan
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr