Egyptian authorities announced the arrival of one of the nuclear equipment for the Dabaa nuclear reactor from Russia, in a shipment weighing approximately 480 tons. Amjad Al-Wakil, Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority, revealed in a statement published on the Egyptian Prime Minister's website that the "reactor core catcher for the third nuclear unit has arrived at the specialized Dabaa port," located in the northwestern coastal city of Dabaa on the Mediterranean Sea.
The statement continued: "The cargo ship carrying the three main components of the reactor core catcher departed the Russian Federation at the end of June. The total weight of the shipment is 480 tons, and it has arrived safely as planned."
The shipment includes "the third long-term nuclear equipment, which is the reactor core catcher for the third unit at the Dabaa nuclear plant." Installation of the nuclear equipment is expected to take place on October 3, which is described as "one of the essential elements to enhance the safety system of the plant, reflecting the highest nuclear safety standards to ensure the safe and continuous operation of the Dabaa nuclear plant. It is one of the distinguished equipment of the advanced third-generation reactors (3+), functioning as a unique protection system installed beneath the reactor vessel's base aimed at increasing the safety and security of the plant."
The Dabaa station is Egypt's first nuclear electricity generation facility and consists of four nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 4800 megawatts, equating to 1200 megawatts per reactor.
The construction of the Dabaa nuclear plant is proceeding in accordance with contracts that came into effect on December 11, 2017. The Dabaa nuclear project experienced a new phase with the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of the commencement of concrete pouring for the fourth unit of the Dabaa plant, located in Matrouh Governorate, about 300 kilometers northwest of Cairo, along the Mediterranean coast.
Egypt took steps in the early 1980s to establish a nuclear power plant in the Dabaa area, but the project was suspended after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. In 2008, Egypt decided to revive the nuclear power project, with Russia competing against other countries for the bid, although the project was not completed. It remained on hold until 2014, when President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi revived it again, and six companies from China, France, Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Russia submitted bids to establish the Dabaa plant, before Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company, won the project, according to Al-Ahram Newspaper.
