The construction of the first nuclear power plant in Egypt - El Dabaa - has started with the participation of Russia's Rosatom, the country's state nuclear agency said.
The NPP will be located in the Matrouch governorate on the Mediterranean coast, 350 kilometers from the capital Cairo.
The El Dabaa plant will comprise four power units with Russian VVER-1200 reactors belonging to the "3+" generation that meet the highest international efficiency and safety requirements. The total installed electric capacity of the plant will be nearly 4.8 GW.
Egypt views the El Dabaa NPP project as an important part of its sustainable development strategy to improve the reliability of the national energy supply system and meet the growing demand for electricity from its economy and industry. Apart from that, the El Dabaa plant will help Cairo to preserve and rationally use its oil and gas resources.
As part of the 2015 agreement reached between Russia and Egypt, Rosatom will not only build the country's first NPP, but will also train local personnel to operate the station and carry out maintenance when necessary.