Manufacturing of Core Components for Egypt's El Dabaa Unit 1 Completed

Recently, all key reactor components for Unit 1 of the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt have been successfully manufactured in St. Petersburg, Russia, marking a major milestone in the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant.

As the general contractor for the project, Rosatom has completed the production of the reactor internals and the VVER-1200 reactor head for the unit at its Izhora manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg. The reactor internals and head, which are about to be shipped to Egypt, have a combined weight of approximately 340 tonnes. Including the reactor pressure vessel that has already been delivered and assembled, the total weight will exceed 670 tonnes. The reactor internals mainly include core components such as the core barrel, the core shroud, and the protective tube unit, which together with the reactor head form the foundation of the reactor core, ensuring the precise placement and fixation of nuclear fuel and comprehensively guaranteeing the integrity and safety of the entire reactor installation.

With the successful completion of core component manufacturing, the construction project will enter a new phase. After the on-site construction personnel complete the installation of these key components, they can fully advance the installation of the remaining equipment in the reactor building and prepare for subsequent commissioning. The El Dabaa project is located approximately 320 kilometers northwest of Cairo. It is Egypt's first nuclear power plant and the first large-scale nuclear power project on the African continent in nearly 40 years. The project plans to build four VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor units in total, and the four units have been progressing efficiently since the first concrete was poured for Unit 1 on July 1, 2022.

Under the general contract signed between Rosatom and Egypt, the Russian side is responsible not only for the overall construction of the plant but will also provide full-lifecycle Russian nuclear fuel supply, spent fuel storage facility construction and container supply, and assist Egypt in completing preliminary personnel training and operation and maintenance support. The Egyptian government has set an ambitious energy transition goal, planning to achieve a 9% share of nuclear power in total electricity generation by 2030. The commercial operation of the first two units will directly replace a large amount of fossil fuel power generation.