Ukraine war could delay Egypt’s first nuclear power plant
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Egypt's vote in favor of a UN resolution condemning Moscow could possibly throw a wrench into the Dabaa nuclear plant project, a joint project with Russian companies.
CAIRO — The Russian war on Ukraine and the US and Western sanctions against Russia have raised questions about the fate of one of Egypt’s main energy projects as its launch date approaches. The Dabaa project is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt, implemented by Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom.
On Jan. 18, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev told Russian journalists that the construction of the first reactor at the Dabaa nuclear plant will start in July.
On Feb. 17, Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority announced that the first reactor, with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, will start operating in 2028, while all four reactors, with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, will be completed and start operating in 2031.
But the project could be disrupted by Russia's war in Ukraine. The invasion prompted European countries and the United States to impose economic sanctions against Moscow as well as a number of Russian companies and figures, possibly delaying the Egyptian project.
