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AsiaElec NUCLEAR AsiaElec
Rosatom to use latest nuclear tech in Egypt
EGYPT
ROSATOM has confirmed that it is to use its latest nuclear technology to build a 4,800MW nuclear power plant in Egypt.
“The El Dabaa NPP will feature the latest gen- eration 3+ reactors, which have already shown themselves to be successful in Russian power units,” said Rosatom first deputy Director Gen- eral Kirill Komarov at the opening of the 2nd nuclear industry suppliers forum in Cairo.
Rosatom said that it was bringing to Egypt the safest and most advanced technology the world has to offer.
Egypt wants local content in the construction of El Dabaa to reach 20% for the first reactor, ris- ing to 35% for the fourth reactor, the country’s minister of electricity Mohamed Shaker said this week.
He added that the project would will help transfer advanced technologies to Egypt.
Shaker stressed at the forum that both the Egyptian and Russian government attached great importance to the project because of its strategic importance to both countries.
Egypt needs nuclear power to meet rising power demand, while El Dabaa is Russia’s most advanced nuclear project in Africa.
In September, Rosatom stressed that Africa was a major growth market for its business, with many African leaders set to attend the Russia-Af- rica forum in Moscow later this month.
Meanwhile, Rosatom is keen to talk up the low-carbon credentials of its technology.
“An NPP project directly contributes to at least six sustainable development goals (SDGs): it’s definitely low-carbon, provides affordable and long-term electricity, supports local produc- ers, creates jobs and improves industrial stand- ards,” said Rosatom chief sustainability officer Polina Lion.
The UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are key elements of the body’s 2030 tar- gets for addressing the challenges of poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice.
As such they are often referenced by compa- nies stressing the green aspects of their generat- ing technology.
The Rosatom officials were speaking at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s e Atoms- 4Climate conference in Vienna.
The IAEA argues that nuclear power can play a key role in decarbonisation and the fight against Climate Change.
Nuclear power accounts for 10% of the world’s electricity and one-third of all low car- bon electricity, with 30 countries operating 449 power reactors. This is the equivalent of taking 400 million cars off the road every year, the body said.
“It is difficult to see how the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved with- out a significant increase in the use of nuclear power in the coming decades,” said IAEA acting director general Cornel Feruta.
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