South Korean firm appointed for Egypt nuclear project

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KNHP) announced it has been selected to provide and install the turbine islands for the 4.8GW El-Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt, the North African country’s first nuclear power plant

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KNHP) announced it has been selected to provide and install the turbine islands for the 4.8GW El-Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt, the North African country’s first nuclear power plant.

KNHP, a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), has been contracted to procure the materials and equipment and to build the main and auxiliary buildings of the turbine islands.

Egypt has appointed Russia’s Atomstroyexport (ASE), a subsidiary of state-owned Rosatom, to develop the 4.8GW El-Dabaa nuclear power project. The Russian government is providing a $25bn loan to the Egyptian government to cover 85 per cent of the capital cost of the project.

KHNP and ASE are currently working on the details and final negotiations of the project, and are due to sign the formal contract for the works in April.

 Energy & Utilities reported in July 2021 that Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) had applied for the construction permits for the first and second units of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant.

Cairo signed an agreement with ASE to construct and operate the $30bn El-Dabaa project in November 2015, with the deal covering the development of a 4,800MW plant consisting of four 1,200MW reactors. In October 2019, Australia’s Worley was appointed to provide a number of engineering and design services for the scheme.

The project is being largely funded by a government-to-government loan from Russia’s Finance Ministry, which will provide a $25bn loan to cover 85 per cent of the construction costs for the scheme. The Egyptian government will finance the remaining 15 per cent capital cost of the plant.