President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin participated via video conference in the ceremony for the installation of the Reactor Pressure Vessel, RPV, for the first nuclear unit of El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, coinciding with the 5th anniversary of Egypt's Nuclear Energy Day.
In his address, President El Sisi emphasized the importance of El Dabaa Plant in supporting the national economy and enhancing Egypt's regional standing in the field of nuclear energy. He praised the fruitful cooperation between Egypt and Russia and the commitment of the Egyptian and Russian teams to implementing the project according to the highest international standards.
Following the President's address, a documentary film was shown detailing the manufacturing, testing, and transportation of the reactor pressure vessel to El Dabaa site. Dr. Sherif Helmy - Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority, then announced the readiness for the installation of the pressure vessel for Unit 1, requesting President El Sisi and President Putin's authorization and the signal to commence the installation. The pressure vessel installation ceremony then began.
In his remarks, the Russian President highlighted the project's importance in strengthening Egypt's energy security and supporting strategic cooperation between the two countries, noting the training programs for Egyptian personnel and the advanced technologies employed in the project.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, along with several ministers and senior officials from both Egypt and Russia.
Speeches were delivered by Mr. Alexey Likhachev - Director General of ROSATOM, Eng. Mahmoud Esmat - Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy; and Mr. Rafael Grossi - Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The event was attended by Eng. Hassan Mustafa - Senior Vice Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, Eng. Ahmed El Adalany - Board Member, Eng. Osama Shawkat and Eng. Yasser Abdel Aal – AC Executive Board Member; Eng. Ahmed Barakat – Manager of El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Projects Department, Eng. El Sayed Farid – Manager of Highways Department; and Mr. Ahmed Lamloum- Human Resources Manager for the project.
It is worth noting that the Arab Contractors is involved in several construction projects within El Dabaa Power Plant, including the turbine buildings for Units 2 and 4, the seawater intake, coastal protection works, internal roads, and service and logistics buildings for foreign companies operating on the site.