Egypt, Russia review localisation progress at El Dabaa nuclear plant

Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat on Wednesday met with Vice President of Atomstroyexport and Project Director of El Dabaa plant Alexey Kononenko to review progress on the strategic national venture and explore deeper industrial cooperation.

The meeting, attended by Egyptian and Russian project officials, focused on enhancing joint coordination and increasing the share of local components in the nuclear plant’s development.

Discussions included localising supporting industries and expanding cooperation with national entities, including the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation, to manufacture key electrical equipment domestically.

Officials reviewed the project’s latest milestones and progress against its timeline, particularly the role of the manufacturing divisions in producing parts of the reactor’s internal containment vessel—considered one of the most critical engineering elements of the nuclear facility.

They also highlighted the domestic production of essential cooling system components and the continued emphasis on local workforce participation, which currently accounts for approximately 80 per cent of total manpower on site.

During the meeting, participants held a phone call with Director General of the State Corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev and the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation Chairman Mokhtar Abdel Latif to review progress on localising several systems and equipment and to discuss plans for scaling up technical training for operational teams.

Both sides affirmed their commitment to completing El Dabaa plant on schedule, with preparations already underway to install the turbine generator for the first nuclear unit before the end of 2025.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: M. S. Salama