El Dabaa nuclear power plant plan receives site approval

• 5 years ago (2019-04-11)
• David Flin

Middle East 310 Nuclear 640

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Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) has received a site approval permit for the El Dabaa site from the Egyptian Nuclear Regulation and Radiological Authority (ENRRA). The permit states that the site and the conditions at the site comply with national and international requirements.

ENRRA said that the approval was issued following a “detailed comprehensive review”, including: data about the reactor installation; site data and characteristics; design basis and concept; and a project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reviewed by the Environmental Affairs Agency.

The NPPA said: “Issuance of the Site Approval Permit is an acknowledgement that the El Dabaa site and its specific conditions comply with national and IAEA requirements for nuclear power plant sites. Site specific conditions must be appropriately considered in the design to ensure the future safe and reliable operation of the nuclear installations.”

The site approval permit is issued for four nuclear units. All other permits within the nuclear licensing process are issued for each unit separately.

El Dabaa will have four Russian-designed VVER-1200 PWRs, with a combined generating capacity of 4.8 GW. Rosatom will develop the plant, which will be owned and operated by the NPPA.

El Dabaa is on the Mediterranean coast 170 km west of Alexandria.