Russian Federation inks agreement to build nuclear power station in Egypt: Rosatom

Speaking at a ceremony marking the signing of an Egyptian-Russian accord to build a nuclear power plant on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Egypt appreciated Moscow’s concerns over the safety of its citizens. He stressed that Egypt remains committed to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“Construction of the nuclear plant aims to… send a message of hope, work and peace, both to us in Egypt and to the world”, Sisi declared.

The deal envisions the development of a four-reactor power plant whose costs would be covered through electricity sales over a 35-year period. It will be paid back through the actual production of electricity that will be generated by this plant, ‘ he said.

The plant in Dabaa, about 130 kilometers (75 miles) south of Cairo, “will be the largest joint project between Russian Federation and Egypt since the Aswan Dam was set up”. Mubarak was then overthrown in a revolution in 2011.

El-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed on the nuclear cooperation in February of this year during Putin’s visit to Egypt.

Egypt, with a population of 90 million and vast energy requirements, is seeking to diversify its energy sources.

The Egyptian and Russian nuclear authorities signed Thursday the agreement to establish the Dabaa nuclear power plant, nine months after the project was first announced. ‘This dream was there for many years and today, God willing, we are taking the first step to make it happen’.