A group of South Korean firms has signed a partnership agreement with Egyptian state-owned construction company Petrojet to help train Egyptian employees for the planned El Dabaa nuclear power plant, which is to be built by Russia. A construction licence for the El Dabaa plant is expected to be issued in the second-half of 2021.
Under the agreement – signed in Cairo yesterday – Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KNHP), Kepco E&C, Hyundai E&C and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction plan to promote cooperation with Egyptian companies based on their experience in nuclear power plant construction. This includes their collaboration in supplying the Barakah plant in the UAE.
“In particular, it was decided to support the training of local technicians and experts in Egypt, and to establish a long-term cooperative relationship rather than a one-off,” KHNP said.
KHNP President Chung Jae-hoon said, “We will successfully lead the participation in the El Dabaa nuclear power plant project, so that we can enter the Egyptian business with domestic nuclear power plant companies and inspire new vitality in the [Korean] nuclear power plant industry.”
The Egyptian government has stipulated that 20%-35% of the workers at the El Dabaa plant must be Egyptians, KHNP noted.
Four Russian-designed VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors are planned for El Dabaa, which is on the Mediterranean coast, 170km west of Alexandria and Zafraana on the Gulf of Suez. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is developing the plant, which will be owned and operated by the NPPA. With a nameplate capacity of 4.8 GWe, the plant is expected to account for about 10% of Egypt’s forecasted electricity demand by 2030.
The El Dabaa nuclear power plant project is based on contracts that entered into force on 11 December 2017. These stipulate that Rosatom will not only build the plant, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle. They will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the first 10 years of its operation. Rosatom is also contracted to build a special storage facility and supply containers for storing used nuclear fuel.
Source: World Nuclear News