Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received the head of the state corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, in Cairo. This was reported by the official representative of the Egyptian Presidential Office Bassam Rada.
According to him, the talks, attended by Mohammed Shaker, the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, as well as Amged el-Wakeel, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority, focused on the state of affairs in the process of implementing the nuclear power plant construction project in Ed-Dabaa, which Rosatom is engaged in. "Egypt is looking forward to the appearance of this power plant as a new monument to the achievements of joint cooperation between the two countries throughout history, which the Egyptian people cherish as a symbol of Egyptian-Russian friendship," the President said, expressing confidence in the long-term Russian experience, which, he said, "will certainly be reflected in the creation of a plant that meets the highest standards of technical, technological and nuclear safety."
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sent Christmas greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin and noted the "continuous, historic and outstanding nature of relations between the countries".
The head of Rosatom, indicated in the office of the head of the Egyptian state, also emphasized that "the close friendship between the presidents of the two countries and the presence of their common political will are among the most important factors contributing to the success of the Ed-Dabaa project." The project, noted the head of Rosatom, is a priority for Russia, which "strives to complete it in due time and in accordance with the highest standards".
Ed-Dabaa NPP Project
The Russian-Egyptian intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant worth $30 billion, consisting of four power units of 1,200 MW each, was concluded in November 2015 in Cairo. At the same time, the parties signed an agreement to provide Egypt with a $25 billion state export loan for the construction of the NPP, which will cover 85% of the work. The Egyptian side must cover the remaining costs by attracting private investors.
Egypt's payments on the loan provided at 3% per annum should begin in October 2029. The nuclear power plant will be built by Rosatom on the country's northern coast 3.5 km from the Mediterranean Sea (on a stretch from 149 km to 164 km near the city of El Alamein). Until 2028 Russia will build four blocks of the plant with VVER-1200 reactors and will supply nuclear fuel during the whole life cycle of the NPP (60 years) as well as provide services on personnel training and maintenance and repair during 10 years after each block is put into operation. The contract also provides for the construction of the first module of dry container storage of spent nuclear fuel until 2028.
Permission to use the Ed Dabaa site was received by the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority in March 2019. The laying of the "first stone" in the foundation of the nuclear power plant was planned for mid-2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS