The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for Unit 1 has been successfully delivered to the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) construction site in Egypt.

The RPV is a critical component of the nuclear power plant, housing the reactor core where the controlled nuclear fission chain reaction occurs. It is designed to maintain complete leak-tightness and withstand extreme pressure and temperature, ensuring the safety and reliability of the power unit.

Manufactured at the Izhora Plant of the Mechanical Engineering Division of Russia’s Rosatom, the reactor pressure vessel weighs over 330 tons. Representatives from Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA)—the owner and future operator of El-Dabaa NPP—closely monitored the manufacturing process at key control stages to ensure strict adherence to quality and safety standards.

The equipment was shipped from the port of St. Petersburg on October 1 and arrived at the El-Dabaa site after a 20-day sea voyage.

“The reactor pressure vessel is scheduled for installation in Unit 1 in mid-November, and our teams are working relentlessly to achieve this key project milestone,” stated Dr. Sherif Helmy, Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority, Egypt.

“We are now approaching one of the main milestones of the year, the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for Unit 1 in its design position,” added Alexey Kononenko, Vice President of Atomstroyexport and Director of the El-Dabaa NPP Construction Project.

Rosatom’s Engineering Division serves as the general designer and general contractor for the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Project. The same organization is also the general designer and contractor of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh. The project will host two units each of 1,200MW capacity. The first unit is fast approaching its physical start-up in near future.