Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed on Thursday the installation of the reactor pressure vessel at the second unit of the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Dabaa in northern Egypt, a step that brings Egypt closer to its commitments to operate the plant and generate electricity from it in 2028.

The 'Dabaa Nuclear' plant is a project being implemented by Egypt in cooperation with Russia to build a power plant, and the two countries signed a cooperation agreement for its construction on November 19, 2015, at a cost of $25 billion, provided by Russia as a soft government loan to Egypt. In December 2017, the two countries signed final agreements for its construction.

The Dabaa plant includes four nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, 1,200 megawatts per reactor. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity, the first nuclear reactor is scheduled to start operating in 2028, followed by the other reactors successively in 2030.

Officials from Egypt and Russia during the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit at the Dabaa plant (Cabinet)

The installation of the pressure vessel for the second unit reactor was attended by a host of senior state officials from both the Egyptian and Russian sides, and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, according to a statement by the Egyptian Cabinet.

'Dream' of the peaceful nuclear plant

The installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the second nuclear unit in Dabaa, located on the northwestern coast of Egypt, coincides with the intensification of construction work at the plant according to the scheduled timeline for completing the four nuclear units and connecting them to the national electricity grid, adding a production capacity of 4,800 megawatts. It also comes about seven months after the installation of the first unit's vessel.

According to the Egyptian statement, the installation of the reactor pressure vessel represents 'a major step in the project's implementation phases, reflecting the transition to a new stage of installing major nuclear equipment, in preparation for completing construction and preparation works according to the highest internationally approved nuclear quality and safety standards.'

Madbouly said in his speech: 'This achievement represents a new step towards completing one of the most important national projects in the new republic, turning the dream of owning a peaceful nuclear plant for electricity production into a tangible reality.'

Egyptian energy expert Gamal al-Qulayoubi believes that the installation of the reactor pressure vessel highlights Egypt's commitment to the timeline for operating the reactor.

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'Now we continue with mechanical and electrical installations such as the reactor vessel body, in addition to pumps, transformers, and electrical connections for the electricity transmission process itself.'

Nuclear safety standards

The reactor pressure vessel is classified as 'one of the most critical and sensitive components in any nuclear facility; it is a giant steel tank made of special high-strength alloys to house the reactor core, where controlled chain fission reactions take place,' as reported by Russia Today on Thursday.

It added that this giant body, weighing hundreds of tons, has been 'designed to comply with the highest global nuclear safety standards, making it capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and enormous pressures, and continuous exposure to radiation throughout its targeted operational lifespan exceeding 75 years, extending safely until 2100.'

Russia Today quoted the Director General of the Russian Rosatom corporation, Alexei Likhachev, as saying that the equipment sent to Dabaa represents a fundamental pillar for transitioning to commissioning operations at the first unit and bringing work at the second unit to the peak of civil construction.

He added: 'More than 25,000 workers are currently working at the Dabaa site at full speed,' confirming that nuclear fuel will arrive at the plant in 2027, and the first nuclear electric current will flow into the Egyptian national grid in 2028, with the entire project to be fully operational by 2030.

Egypt seeks to expand its renewable energy production to reach 45% of the energy mix in 2028, instead of 42% in 2030, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity.