The third Egyptian reactor obtained the building permit

Egypt’s General Authority for Nuclear Regulation has issued a construction permit for the third unit of the Dabaa nuclear power plant, which will eventually house four Russian-made reactors. Construction of the third unit is scheduled to begin in the coming months.

The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) conducted a comprehensive inspection at the Dabaa facility between March 11 and 17, to verify readiness to start construction of the third unit.

NPPA announced that the issuance of the license “is the culmination of a series of successful technical meetings between specialists from the NPPA and ENRRA in ensuring that the license documents submitted meet all regulatory requirements and achieve the highest standards of nuclear safety, and in ensuring the readiness of the NPPA so that the construction process of the third nuclear power unit can begin.” .

northwest of Cairo

After obtaining the building permit, the engineering works for the first concrete in the third nuclear power unit will be carried out during the second quarter of this year.

The Dabaa nuclear power plant project – about 320 kilometers northwest of Cairo – is based on the contract between NPPA and Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom that entered into force on December 11, 2017. The plant will consist of four VVER-1200 units, like those already at the Leningrad- and Novoronezh in Russia and the Ostrovets plant in Belarus.

The contracts stipulate that Rosatom will not only build the facility, but also supply Russian nuclear fuel throughout its life cycle. They will also assist the Egyptian partners in training staff and maintaining the facilities during the first ten years of operations.

Storage of spent nuclear fuel

Rosatom has also been commissioned to build a special storage facility and deliver containers for the storage of spent nuclear fuel. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power builds 80 buildings and supplies materials to the non-nuclear Turbine Islands.

NPPA applied to ENNRA for the building permits for Units 3 and 4 in January 2022, six months after submitting an application for Units 1 and 2.

Construction of the first unit began in July last year, and construction of the second unit followed in November.

Source: Nuclear Energy News