Rosatom Pours First Concrete at Unit 4 of Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant

Cairo / Moscow — 23 January 2024. State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom has started construction of the fourth and final power unit of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt, pouring first concrete into the unit's foundation slab. With this milestone, all four VVER-1200 units of Egypt's first nuclear station are under simultaneous construction, and completion of the project is expected in 2028–2029.

Massive reinforced concrete foundation with dense rebar and concrete pumps at a coastal energy construction site

From licence to first concrete

The ceremony marking the start of works at the fourth power unit was broadcast by the Rossiya 24 television channel. Rosatom received the construction licence for the unit from the Egyptian regulator at the end of summer 2023. The corporation had earlier hoped to pour first concrete at Unit 4 back in November, while construction of the station's first three units is already well under way.

The intergovernmental agreement on building Egypt's first nuclear power plant, El Dabaa, was concluded in November 2015, and the EPC contract — covering engineering, procurement and construction — followed at the end of 2016. The engineering division of Rosatom acts as the general designer and contractor of the station.

Project parameters

Four power units of 1,200 MW each — 4,800 MW of total installed capacity;
VVER-1200 (ВВЭР-1200) reactors;
Legal framework: intergovernmental agreement of November 2015 and EPC contract of late 2016;
Construction licence for Unit 4 issued by the Egyptian regulator at the end of summer 2023;
First concrete poured at Unit 4 on 23 January 2024;
Expected completion of construction: 2028–2029.

Why it matters for the economy

For Egypt, El Dabaa is more than a single construction site: it is the country's first nuclear power plant and the flagship project of Russian–Egyptian economic cooperation. The start of works on the fourth unit moves the entire 4,800 MW station into the active construction phase — a long-cycle infrastructure programme that will shape the country's power generation base for decades.

For Rosatom, first concrete at Unit 4 confirms the resilience of its export pipeline: the engineering division is delivering all four units at one site within a single EPC framework, with the whole station due for completion in 2028–2029.

Project timeline

November 2015 — intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the El Dabaa NPP concluded.
Late 2016 — EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract signed.
End of summer 2023 — Egyptian regulator issues the construction licence for Unit 4.
23 January 2024 — first concrete poured at Unit 4; all four units under construction.
2028–2029 — expected completion of construction.