Page 12 - AfrElec Week 29 2022
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AfrElec NUCLEAR AfrElec
ROSATOM breaks ground
at El-Dabaa in Egypt
EGYPT ROSATOM has broken the ground on the country’s nuclear industry on the continent.
construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power sta- According to the terms of the contract
tion in El-Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast between the Russian and Egyptian authorities,
roughly 300 km northwest of Cairo, the Russian the ROSATOM-led consortium will build the
state-owned nuclear power plant maker said in El-Dabaa NPP, deliver Russian nuclear fuel for
a statement posted on its website. its entire life cycle, as well as assist the Egyptian
ROSATOM will build four cutting-edge side in personnel training and support them in
power units of VVER-1200 design at El-Dabaa the operation and servicing of the NPP for the
nuclear power plant over several years. The first 10 years of its operation.
El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will Within the framework of another agreement,
consist of four units with a generating capacity the Russians will build a special storage facility
equivalent to 1200 MW per unit using genera- and deliver casks for storing spent nuclear fuel.
tion III+ VVER-1200 reactors and pressurized It is not immediately clear how Egypt with its
water reactors. stretched finances will pay for such an expen-
The initiation of works on the NPP marks a sive, high-ticket project with construction in
significant step forward for both countries. For phases. But ROSATOM is known to work on a
Egypt, it will catapult the country belatedly into revenue-sharing basis with its clients, shoulder-
the nuclear age, making a momentous contri- ing upfront costs on the expectation of taking a
bution to the country’s energy mix. Egypt tra- chunk of future cashflow from operations.
ditionally relied on oil and gas-fuelled power Moscow is reportedly lending Cairo $25bn
plants as well as renewable power sources to gen- for the project, covering 85% of the cost of the
erate its electricity needs. For the Russian side, project, which ROSATOM director general
setting up a new-generation NPP on the African Alexey Likhachev called the “largest project of
continent is a remarkable milestone, opening up the Russian-Egyptian cooperation since the
potentially other export opportunities for the Aswan High Dam”, TASS reported.
Ghana to announce nuclear site
EGYPT GHANA’S government will soon name the site “Recently, steps are being taken to finalise
and contractor of a new nuclear power plant, the selection of a preferred site for Ghana’s first
Deputy Minister for Energy, William Owuraku nuclear power plant. Recently, Ghana issued
Aidoo has indicated, the Ghanaian Times a Request of Information (RFI) as part of the
reports. required process to identify a vendor country
Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) has reportedly and nuclear technology,” he is quoted as saying.
submitted a report on four prospective sites and “Currently, the RFI report is under review
five contractors to the cabinet following feasibil- and the government will soon announce a deci-
ity studies for review and approval. sion on the vendor and technology,” Owuraku
The government is turning to nuclear power Aidoo told journalists at the NPG workshop.
as part of a bid to accelerate industrialisation and NPG executive director of Dr Stephen
mitigate the impact of climate change, Aidoo Yamoah said nuclear power as an option in
said, speaking at a workshop in Accra on July Ghana was no longer a question of “can we do
19 organised by the NPG under the theme of it” but rather was about “when are we having
nuclear safety. nuclear connected to the grid.”
P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 28 14•July•2022
