Work is buzzing at Egypt’s El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant as workers are pouring concrete for the second tier of the reactor’s containment shell. Simultaneously, installation of secure IT infrastructure has begun, while children of the plant’s construction workers competed in sports at a local festival.
Late last week, workers completed the first phase of concrete pouring for the second tier of the internal containment shell (ICS) at the second power unit of El Dabaa NPP.
The concreting operations are divided into two phases, each requiring 1,200 cubic meters of concrete to be laid. The initial phase lasted continuously for 24 hours, involving approximately 100 workers.
“The Nuclear Power Plants Authority has witnessed a new achievement in the ongoing construction of El Dabaa NPP. Another construction phase for Unit 2 has been completed. This achievement reflects the joint efforts of the Egyptian team represented by the project owner, NPPA, and the Russian team led by the general contractor, AtomStroyExport,” said Sharif Helmi Mahmoud, Chairman of the NPPA Board of Directors.
Also in April, Rosatom engineers began setting up a secure local area network (LAN) for El Dabaa NPP. The network will connect all computers, workstations, systems, and sensors of the nuclear power plant, allowing new connections and scalable expansion without overhauling the entire network. High-capacity switches will handle growing demands, minimizing the need for additional hardware.
Aligned with international safety standards, the network infrastructure will be fully isolated from external access to ensure uninterrupted, secure operation of every digital system at the plant. The station will be well protected against potential cyber threats: built-in defenses—including firewalls and multi-factor authentication—will block unauthorized access to critical data. Centralized network management will enable real-time adjustments, software updates, and troubleshooting without halting plant operations.
“The project’s main goal is to create a unified, distributed data transmission environment that guarantees secure communication between the plant’s personnel and connected devices. The technical solutions meet current requirements for data speed transmission and reliability. This approach will ensure stable operation of the digital systems throughout the plant’s life cycle,” noted Ilya Litvinov, Director for Middle East and Africa Projects at RASU.
Rosatom also fosters community engagement at the construction site. In April, the first El Dabaa Kids Sports Festival was held in El Dabaa, gathering over 200 children from the Territory of Childhood center. These were children of the employees involved in building the nuclear plant. The event featured races, physical training challenges, jump rope competitions, and a chess tournament. Additionally, tournaments were held in three team sports: soccer, volleyball, and streetball. Competition winners received medals and certificates.
“Continuing the good sports traditions of the Egyptian site, we held a children’s sports festival, actively engaging the younger generation in athletics. Such events unite families, strengthen team spirit and work teams, improve emotional and physical wellbeing, and consequently have a positive impact on work results,” noted Konstantin Fokin, Head of Public and Sports Events at AtomStroyExport.
Photo by: Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division, Izhora Plant
