Granting Construction Permit for the second unit of Dabaa nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1200 megawatts

31 October, 2022

Venue: Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority

Date: October 31, 2022

The Board of the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority headed by H.E Prof. Dr. Sami Shaaban agreed to grant the construction permit to establish the second unit of the Dabaa nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1200 megawatts.

H.E Prof. Dr. Sami Shaaban: The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority exercises its continuous monitoring role over the establishment of the first unit, and monitors all equipment, through the system of inspectors residing at the site since the issuance of the permission to establish the first unit last June.

The Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority conducted a comprehensive inspection in the period from 23-27 October 2022 to ensure compliance with the necessary conditions, and the readiness of the site to start the process of establishing the second unit.

The Board of Directors of the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, headed by H.E Prof. Dr. Sami Shaaban, in its session No. 9, held on Monday, October 31, 2022, agreed to grant permit of construction to the second unit at Dabaa nuclear power plant, as the authority received a request to grant construction permit to the first and second units on January 13 2019, and over the course of two years, the Nuclear Power Plants Authority completed its procedures by submitting the initial safety analysis report for the first and second units; from January 2021 to the end of June 2021.

And according to Law No. 7 of 2010 regarding the regulation of nuclear and radiological activities, and its executive regulations issued by the Prime Minister’s Resolution No. 1326 of 2011, and its amendments issued by Resolution No. 211 of 2017, which specified the various procedures for licensing nuclear facilities, ENRRA took the procedures necessary to verify the availability of the highest levels of safety standards for the Dabaa nuclear project in accordance with the highest international standards, as follows:

• Holding dialogue sessions with representatives of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority to discuss the response of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority to generate electricity on the results of the audit, and to consider the results of the dialogue on the review and evaluation of the first unit when preparing the review and evaluation report for the second unit.
• The Authority accurately assessed the differences between the first and second units, and the license applicant’s representatives responded to all the Authority’s inquiries by holding intensive meetings at the Authority’s headquarters.
• The Authority organized a number of inspection visits to the site of the nuclear plant in Dabaa, in order to determine the readiness of the site to start the construction of the second unit, including a comprehensive inspection in the period from 23-27 October 2022.

According to the results of the review and evaluation of the initial safety analysis report, the ENRRA has verified the safety of the second unit of the Dabaa nuclear power generation plant in accordance with the terms of the authorization. Therefore, the Board ENRRA decided, in its session No. 9 of 2022, to approve granting construction permit to the second unit of the Dabaa nuclear power plant. In accordance with the conditions provided in the permit.

ENRRA will continue its efforts to verify the commitment of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority to generate electricity with the conditions of the permission granted, and the regular monitoring of the implementation of the construction and equipment manufacturing phase, and the conduct of the necessary inspections, within the framework ENRRA’s role in verifying the safety of people, the environment and property from potential risks; to ensure the promotion of the peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology in all aspects of development.