Russia to Soon Inaugurate First Nuclear Plant in Egypt
SMA NEWS – Cairo
CEO of Russia’s nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Middle East and Africa, Alexander Voronkov, announced on Sunday that the company will start construction of the first nuclear plant in Egypt, asserting that the reactors are environment-friendly.
The announcement came during the opening ceremony of the scientific and educational “Science Festival,” co-organized by the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, and held at the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Cairo Sunday.
Rosatom is currently implementing Egypt’s first nuclear power plant project near the town of El Dabaa, in the country’s Matrouh Governorate.
The plant consists of four third-generation reactors with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, the first of which is planned to enter service by 2026.
Voronkov said introducing the new technology of nuclear power in Egypt would improve the standard of living in Matrouh and the entire country.
“The nuclear power plant will enable the country to step into a new stage of its technological and scientific development and use the full potential of [available] peaceful nuclear technologies for the prosperity and sustainable development of Egypt,” he said, adding that the plant will be a source of clean sustainable energy.
The Science Festival Week in Cairo aims to present opportunities for Egyptian schoolchildren and students to specialize in nuclear science in Russia.
“The Festival would help students learn about the various applications of nuclear science, and the role of nuclear technology in a nation’s development, as well as to inspire them to consider nuclear engineering as a future profession,” Voronkov said.
Last December, head of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority Amjad Al-Wakeel said a permit is expected to be issued in 2021 to establish a site in El Dabaa that will allow construction on the nuclear reactor to begin.
