Egypt advances nuclear program with permit for spent fuel storage

Miguel Hadchity

RIYADH: Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority has secured a permit to construct a spent atomic fuel storage facility at the El-Dabaa power plant, located approximately 320 km northwest of Cairo.

The NPPA plans to begin the construction of the facility in 2025. This storage solution will provide safe, dry, and scientifically advanced containment for spent nuclear fuel, with the capacity to store waste for up to 100 years, all while adhering to the highest standards of safety and environmental protection.

El-Dabaa, Egypt’s first nuclear power plant and the country’s largest energy project in decades, is being developed in collaboration with Russia’s Rosatom. The plant will house four VVER-1200 reactors, the same type as those in operation at Russia’s Leningrad and Novovoronezh plants, as well as Belarus’s Ostrovets.

In a statement issued by the NPPA, Amjad El-Wakeel, chairman of the authority, highlighted the achievement as a significant milestone in Egypt’s nuclear program. “The authority has successfully secured the permit for the construction of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility at El-Dabaa, aligning with the project’s implementation timeline,” the statement read.

The NPPA formally submitted the permit request to Egypt’s Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority on June 12, 2024, accompanied by comprehensive design and technical documentation reviewed by nuclear specialists.

Following a series of productive technical meetings between NPPA and NRRA experts, the permit was granted during NRRA’s seventh session on Dec. 31, 2024.

The decision came after a successful site inspection by NRRA representatives, who visited the El-Dabaa plant from Dec.1 to 5, 2024, to assess the site’s readiness for construction.

This development highlights Egypt’s commitment to advancing its nuclear energy program in line with both national priorities and international safety standards, the statement further noted.

Located in the Matrouh governorate along the Mediterranean coast, 250 km west of Alexandria, the El-Dabaa site offers numerous strategic advantages, including access to rail and road networks, low seismic activity, and an abundant supply of cooling water.

The El-Dabaa nuclear project, which has been in the planning stages since 1954, received formal approval in 1983 and was publicly announced in 2007. Following approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2010, Egypt finalized agreements with Russia in 2015. Contracts came into effect in December 2017, and construction officially commenced in July 2022.

Courtesy: arabnews