Russia, Egypt sign agreement on Egypt's first nuclear plant construction

Russia and Egypt signed an intergovernmental agreement on building Egypt's first nuclear plant in Dabaa, which is supposed to have four power-generating units, each of them with an output capacity of 1,200 megawatts, Russia’s national nuclear corporation Rosatom reported on Thursday.

The document was inked by Rosatom Director General Sergey Kiriyenko and Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker.

"The Dabaa nuclear plant will be the largest Russian-Egyptian project since the Aswan dam. It will mark a truly new chapter in the history of our bilateral relations. The plant will make Egypt the regional leader in the field of nuclear technologies and the only country in the region that will have a generation 3+ plant," Rosatom's press service quoted Kiriyenko.

The signed agreement stipulates parameters of the first nuclear plant in the Arab Republic of Egypt, which will be constructed in accordance with Russian technologies, as well as further development of nuclear infrastructure in the country.

According to Rosatom report, the intergovernmental agreement also includes issues related to providing the future plant with nuclear fuel, obligations for exploitation, maintenance works and repair of the plant’s units.

The document also stipulates issues related to spent fuel, personnel training, backing Egypt in improving system of norms and regulations in the field of nuclear power and nuclear infrastructure.

According to Kiriyenko, "already now first Russian experts are at the Dabaa site while in early December equipment will be supplied to the site and survey work will start" while next year first students from Egypt will start training at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI /Moscow Engineering Physics Institute/.

The plan is to implement the project within 12 years.
 [tass.ru]
19/11/15