Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant May Add More Units, Russian and Egyptian Presidents Discuss Expansion Possibility

On September 11, Alexey Likhachev, CEO of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom (Rosatom), said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi discussed the possibility of adding generating units at Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant.

Likhachev said the two sides discussed next steps for the project, including reserving nuclear fuel for next year and first advancing operations related to the technical startup of Unit 1. He stated that the El Dabaa nuclear power plant site can accommodate not only the 4 reactors currently under construction, but broadly speaking can also accommodate a comparable number of reactors, which was also a key focus of this discussion.

Likhachev said that Rosatom is already prepared to advance the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant expansion project, and the relevant concept has received Putin's support. He also said that during the formal talks, el-Sisi expressed gratitude to Russian nuclear power personnel for their work in Egypt and hoped to continue implementing existing agreements and further deepen cooperation.

The two sides also discussed future cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as holding follow-up meetings under the framework of joint projects. Putin arrived in India on Friday for a three-day working visit and met with el-Sisi during the BRICS summit held in New Delhi. After the formal talks ended, Putin, el-Sisi, and Likhachev continued with informal conversation.

The El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant is located about 350 kilometers west of Cairo and is planned to have 4 units, using Russian VVER-1200 reactors. This reactor type belongs to Generation III+ nuclear power technology and meets international safety and efficiency standards. The engineering division of Rosatom serves as the general designer and general contractor for the project. The El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant is Rosatom's first nuclear power project implemented in Africa.

Units 1 and 2 of the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant began construction in 2022, with only 4 months between the first concrete pours for the two units. Unit 3 began construction in 2023, and Unit 4 started construction in January 2024.