Egypt's Nuclear Energy Program

Описание: Presentation by Dr Mohammed Dwiddar, Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority

Australian Nuclear Association ANA2025 Conference on Friday 10th October 2025 at the UTS Aerial Function Centre, Level 7, UTS Building 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2007.

Abstract
In the 1960s, Egypt started up its first research reactor and began considering nuclear energy. In 1981 the El-Dabaa site was selected for Egypt’s first nuclear power plant. The El-Dabaa site is located on the Mediterranean coast – around 170 km west of Alexandria.

In 1976 Egypt established the Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA), which is the owner/operator entity responsible for the construction and operation of NPPs for electricity generation and seawater desalination.

Egypt is currently constructing its first nuclear power plant on El-Dabaa Site, in Matrouh Governorate. The El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant will comprise four generation 3+ VVER reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW each in furtherance of the intergovernmental agreement signed between the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Government of the Russian Federation in November 2015. The project contracts include an EPC contract, a fuel supply contract, a spent nuclear fuel treatment contract and an operation support and maintenance contract which became effective in September 2017. Once the 4 units will be in operation, the El Dabaa NPP will supply around 8-10% of the Egypt’s electricity.

Over the past 3 years, the El-Dabba Nuclear Power Plant Project has witnessed the achievement of a number of key milestones. In July 2022, first concrete pouring for Unit 1 successfully took place following the obtainment of the construction permit from the Egyptian Nuclear Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA). This was closely followed by the granting of the construction permits and the first concrete pouring for Units 2 and 3 in November 2022 and May 2023. In January 2024, first concrete for unit 4 of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant was poured, marking the commencement of full-scale construction works across all four units.

On the 21st of March 2023, the core catcher for Unit 1, being the first major item of long lead equipment, arrived at the El-Dabaa site via the docking facility constructed by the Egyptian Party. Other key items of long lead equipment are currently being manufactured including, reactor pressure vessel and reactor top head; primary circuit equipment (steam generators, pressurisers and pipeline components); and steam turbine sets.

The Project continues to be implemented in accordance with the project time schedules, with the reactor pressure vessel for Unit 1 anticipated to arrive to the site for installation in Q4 of 2025, and the pre-commissioning activities are scheduled to start by the end of 2025.