Construction of the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant is progressing at full speed. The third tier of the inner containment shell (ICS) was installed at Unit 2. A new training center for the staff was opened at the plant construction site. In early July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev discussed progress in the construction of the nuclear power plant and Russian-Egyptian strategic cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Construction of the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant remains an absolute priority for Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev emphasized during the meeting with the Egyptian president.
“Thanks to coordinated efforts of the Russian and Egyptian teams, full-scale construction and installation work is currently underway at all four power units of the plant. More than 24,000 people are involved in the project daily, with the majority being Egyptian nationals. We are confident that the successful completion of the El Dabaa NPP project will strengthen Russian-Egyptian relations, enhance Egypt’s energy independence, and lay the foundation for further technology partnership between our countries,” Alexey Likhachev said.
The parties also signed a protocol to amend the intergovernmental cooperation agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Egypt, and an addendum to the EPC contract for the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant between Rosatom and Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority.
The new documents provide for the possibility of Russia’s participation in the design, equipment and material deliveries, as well as construction, installation, and commissioning work necessary for establishing the site security system at the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. The site will be equipped with advanced security systems fully compliant with the IAEA standards.
In early July, a new training center was officially inaugurated at the nuclear power plant construction site. The 5,000 sq m facility features a production workshop, full-scale simulators, an extensive collection of fully-featured pieces of thermal, mechanical and electrical equipment from the power unit, as well as instruction and computer-based training classrooms. While the center meets Russian nuclear industry standards for professional training, they have been customized to comply with Egypt’s national requirements.
All local employees, regardless of their specialization, will complete a basic training program at the facility. The center is expected to train and upskill about 20,000 workers involved in construction, equipment installation, and commissioning activities. The center will also serve as a testing hub to assess the skills and competencies of new employees before they begin work.
“High-quality personnel training is the key to efficient and reliable operation of any nuclear power plant,” Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said during the opening ceremony.
The last segment of the third-tier ring was installed for the inner containment shell (ICS) at Unit 2.
The ICS is a cylinder-shaped structure that houses the nuclear reactor and primary circuit equipment. The ICS third tier consists of 12 ‘petal blocks’, each 9 meters high and weighing40 to 100 tonnes. The third tier contains the largest, 17-meter-long block.
The installation of the ICS third tier was completed within two weeks. A heavy-duty crane capable of lifting up to 1,350 tonnes was used during the process.
“The reactor building of the second power unit grew another 9 meters in just two weeks. This year, we plan to install one more tier of the inner containment shell,” said Alexey Kononenko, Vice President of AtomStroyExport and Director of El Dabaa Construction Project.
“Achieving this progress in record time of just two weeks was made possible through the high qualifications of Egyptian workers, as well as through effective cooperation with the Russian engineers and the diligent work of installation and engineering teams,” emphasized Dr. Sherif Helmy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority.
All four units of the nuclear plant are now in the active construction phase. Recently, installation began on the lower embedded structure for the support truss at Unit 1.
The embedded structure is a critical structural component that ensures a solid connection between the building’s load-bearing elements and the steel framework of the truss. It will serve as the foundation for the subsequent installation of heavy equipment. The weight of the embedded structure exceeds 65 tonnes.
The support truss is a massive metal frame that is part of the reactor pit equipment. It protects the reactor pressure vessel from both static and seismic loads.
Photo by: Rosatom State Corporation, Rosatom Engineering Division
