Dr. Mostafa Madbouly – the Prime Minister witnessed today the ceremony of installation of the reactor pressure vessel for nuclear unit 2 at El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, in the presence of a number of ministers, a number of the parliamentary members, Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi - Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and senior officials.
The Prime Minister was welcomed by Eng. Mahmoud Esmat - Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Major General Dr. Mohamed El Zamlout - Governor of Marsa Matrouh, and Dr. Eng. Sherif Helmy -CEO of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority.
The Russian side was represented at the ceremony by Mr. Alexey Likhachev - Director General of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, Mr. Yuri Matveev - Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Cairo, and Mr. Andrey Petrov - First Deputy Director General of Rosatom and President of Atomstroyexport, the general contractor implementing the project, along with representatives of national authorities and leaders of the Authority.
The celebration was attended by Eng. Heba Abu El-Ela - Vice Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, AC Board Members: Dr. Eng. Ahmed El Adalany, Eng. Mohamed Elwi, Eng. Hassan Ibraheem; AC Executive Board Members: Eng. Osama Shawkat and Eng. Yasser Abdel-Aal, Eng. Sayed Farid – Manager of the Highways Department, and Eng. Ahmed Barakat – Manager of the Project Management.
The Prime Minister began his speech during the event by welcoming the attendees and conveying the greetings of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Republic, and his congratulations to the Egyptian people on the anniversary of the June 30 Revolution that embodied the will of the Egyptians to preserve their homeland and set it on a path toward construction and development. He also expressed the President’s profound appreciation for the sincere efforts being made to implement and accomplish Egypt’s nuclear program.
The Prime Minister also extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for his will and generous patronage of this giant national project, which is one of the most prominent strategic development projects that embodies Egypt’s vision for producing energy that shapes the future.
During his speech, the Prime Minister pointed out that during his meeting with Mr. Alexey Likhachev - Director General of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, prior to the start of these events, he mentioned that as an Egyptian, since the early stages of education, we saw in textbooks that one of the dreams of the Egyptian state was to establish a peaceful nuclear power plant in El Dabaa. Years and decades passed, and the man who took this dream and made it a reality came along, namely His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Republic. He added that this is one of the many dreams that all Egyptians have had, and which the political leadership, in light of the various challenges facing the Egyptian state and the world, has been able to put into reality and contribute to the establishment of a new republic and a modern state.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly said: “I stand with you today at the site of the first peaceful Egyptian nuclear power plant, to witness a new achievement added to the record of achievements of the Egyptian state, with the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit at El Dabaa nuclear power plant, shortly after the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the first unit in the presence of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and His Excellency Russian President Vladimir Putin via video conference, in a clear confirmation of the strength of the strategic partnership between the two friendly countries.”
The Prime Minister pointed out that this achievement represents a new step towards completing one of the most important national projects in the new republic, and turning the dream of owning a peaceful nuclear power plant for electricity production into a tangible reality, saying: “After decades during which this dream haunted Egyptians, the will of the political leadership, led by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, came to revive it through the signing of the government agreement with the Russian side in 2015, so that the journey of implementation could begin and the vision could be transformed into successive achievements on the ground.”
The Prime Minister pointed out that Egypt’s Vision 2030 is based on achieving sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions, and that energy is one of the most important pillars of this vision and a key driver of development and national security, explaining that global challenges and energy crises have confirmed the importance of the approach adopted by Egypt in diversifying energy sources and promoting reliance on clean and sustainable sources.
The Prime Minister stressed in his speech that peaceful nuclear energy represents a strategic option that supports the achievement of sustainable development goals, as it provides a safe and stable source of electricity, in addition to its role in reducing carbon emissions and supporting efforts to confront climate change.
He said: “This is where El Dabaa nuclear power plant project comes in as one of the major national projects that embodies Egypt’s 2030 vision, and contributes to promoting comprehensive development and consolidating Egypt’s regional and international position, under the slogan: Energy that creates the future.”
In closing, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly extended his greetings and appreciation to all the workers in El Dabaa Nuclear Project, who continue with determination and sincerity to achieve successive accomplishments on the path to building “energy that creates the future,” praying to God Almighty to protect Egypt and to grant everyone success in continuing the path of construction and development.
The installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit at El Dabaa nuclear power plant is a new step that reflects the continued progress in implementing the peaceful Egyptian nuclear program. The installation of the reactor pressure vessel is one of the most prominent engineering achievements and key milestones in the path of establishing the second nuclear unit, as it represents the project’s transition to an advanced stage of major installation work, reflecting the full commitment to implementing the project according to the approved timetables and in accordance with the highest international standards of quality and nuclear safety.
The ceremony for installing the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit began with the screening of a documentary about the Egyptian state’s journey towards possessing the energy of the future, represented by the peaceful Egyptian nuclear project.
Then Mr. Alexey Likhachev - Director General of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, delivered a speech, during which he confirmed that the project to build the nuclear power plant in El Dabaa is progressing rapidly according to the approved time plan, noting that the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit comes only seven months after the completion of the same process for the first nuclear unit, which reflects the accelerated pace of implementation of the project.
He added that this achievement represents a major step that paves the way for moving to the next phase of work, which is the start of welding work on the main cooling circuit pipeline for the reactor, stressing that the project continues to progress in accordance with the highest standards of quality and nuclear safety.
In his speech, Mr. Rafael Grossi - Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed his appreciation for the progress witnessed in El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant project, stressing that the International Atomic Energy Agency continues to support member states in developing their peaceful nuclear programs in accordance with the highest standards of nuclear safety and security, expressing his hope for continued fruitful cooperation with Egypt in various fields of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, in a way that contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
During the event, another documentary film was shown that reviewed the journey of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit, starting from the phases of its manufacture and inspection, through its transfer to the site of the construction of the nuclear station in El Dabaa, up to the final preparations for the implementation of the installation process.
Eng. Mahmoud Esmat - Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, delivered a speech in which he expressed his pride in the rapid progress witnessed by the project, stressing that the successive achievements at El Dabaa nuclear power plant reflect the success of the close cooperation between the Egyptian and Russian sides, and the full commitment to implementing the project according to the latest international standards and technologies. He pointed out that the reactor pressure vessel is one of the most important main components inside the nuclear reactor, as it contains the reactor core in which the controlled nuclear reactions take place. It was designed and manufactured according to the latest international engineering standards, which ensures its ability to withstand high pressures and temperatures, and achieve the highest levels of safety and operational security, as it is one of the basic elements of the nuclear safety system at the plant.
The minister stressed that the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit represents a milestone in the project’s implementation and confirms the Egyptian state’s commitment to continuing its peaceful nuclear program, as it is one of the main pillars for achieving energy security, diversifying electricity production sources, and supporting sustainable development efforts, in line with Egypt’s future vision.
Dr. Sherif Helmy - CEO of the NPPA announced the readiness of the site of the second nuclear unit to begin the process of installing the reactor pressure vessel. Then, the Prime Minister gave permission and signaled the start of the process, signalling the launch of the ceremony for installing the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit.
It is worth mentioning that El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt. It is being implemented in the city of Dabaa in Marsa Matrouh Governorate. The plant consists of 4 nuclear units with a capacity of 1200 megawatts each, with a total production capacity of 4800 megawatts. It relies on Russian pressurized water reactors of the (VVER-1200, third generation improved) type, which are among the newest and most advanced and safest nuclear reactor technologies in the world.
This achievement embodies the continued progress in implementing one of the largest strategic national projects in the energy sector, and confirms the success of the Egyptian-Russian partnership in implementing the project, which contributes to enhancing energy security, supporting economic development, achieving the state’s goals in diversifying the energy mix, and building a more sustainable future for future generations.