On June 27, 2024, the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt and Atomstroyexport JSC co-hosted a Hungarian delegation headed by Mr. Gergely Jakli, the CEO of Paks II NPP CJSC, in a high-level visit to the El-Dabaa NPP construction site.
The main purpose of the visit is to share updates about the current status of the El-Dabaa NPP given the recent Project developments, with full-scale construction works currently being carried out at the site for all four units. The visit will also give insight as to how Rosatom State Corporation is implementing projects for the construction of generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors abroad, in particular, on the African continent. Sharing the best practices adopted thus far in the El-Dabaa NPP Project will support a more efficient implementation of the Paks II NPP.
Eng. Mohamed Ramadan Badawy, Vice Board Chairman for Operation and Maintenance and General Supervisor of the El-Dabaa NPP Project, together Mr. Alexey Kononenko, Vice President of Atomstroyexport JSC and Project Manager of the El-Dabaa NPP Project welcomed representatives of the Paks II NPP team and conducted a tour of the El-Dabaa NPP construction site, including the four units, the docking facility and also the accommodation area.
“The visit of colleagues from Hungary is a great opportunity for an open exchange of experience, ideas and technologies. Currently, we are successfully carrying out construction works for all four units of the El-Dabaa NPP simultaneously, under the supervision of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt, the owner entity and future operator. ASE JSC, is glad to have the opportunity to share knowledge with representatives of the delegation of another international project of Rosatom State Corporation. We are open to further cooperation and new opportunities in the global arena of nuclear power plant construction”, noted Alexey Kononenko.
Eng. Mohamed Ramadan Badawy stated that: “sharing information and exchanging experiences with other countries implementing NPP projects with VVER-1200 reactors such as Hungary will be mutually beneficial. The El-Dabaa NPP Project has witnessed the successful achievement of several key milestones, including more recently the first concrete pouring for unit 4 which took place last January, and the delivery and installation of long lead equipment such as the core catchers for units 1 and 2. We are open to considering potential cooperation opportunities with the Paks-II team to share our experience with the construction of VVER-1200 reactors so far. We also look forward to gaining experience from a country who has been operating nuclear power plants for many decades.”
“The Paks II NPP project is truly an international project, with the Russian contractor and a number of top Western suppliers. It is very important for us to exchange experience with countries that operate or are constructing nuclear power plants with similar VVER technology,” said Gergely Jakli, the CEO of Paks II NPP.At the end of the visit, a meeting of the Egyptian, Russian and Hungarian teams took place during which prospects for cooperation were discussed.
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El-Dabaa NPP is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt. It is being constructed in the city of El-Dabaa, Matrouh Governorate, on the Mediterranean coast, approximately 300 km North-West of Cairo. The El-Dabaa NPP consists of four power units, with a generating capacity of 1200 MW per unit, using generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors (pressurized water reactors). This is the most advanced technology to date and has already been successfully implemented and operated in Russia and abroad.
The El-Dabaa NPP is being constructed according to the project contracts which entered into force on December 11, 2017 and pursuant to which, the Russian party will build the El-Dabaa NPP, supply nuclear fuel for its entire lifetime, provide personnel training to the Egyptian party and provide operation support and maintenance for the first 10 years of the NPP operation. The Russian party will also build a special storage facility and will deliver casks for storing spent nuclear fuel.