South Korea is playing a growing role in expanding Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear plant [Getty]
South Korea’s growing role in Egypt’s Russian-built El Dabaa nuclear power plant has helped Cairo shield the project from Western sanctions and paved the way for a major expansion of the site, according to senior Egyptian energy officials.
Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat said in televised remarks that Egypt was studying the addition of at least two more nuclear units at El Dabaa, with the possibility of eventually expanding the complex from four reactors to six or even eight.
Senior sources at Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy told The New Arab that the proposed expansion reflected “a state of confidence” surrounding the project following South Korea’s entry as a partner alongside Russia’s Rosatom.
They said South Korean involvement had enabled Egypt to gain access to Western-linked technology while limiting the exposure of companies working on El Dabaa to US and European sanctions imposed on Russian firms following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the sources, the South Korean government is expected to provide financial and technical support for future expansions of El Dabaa, alongside its existing role in completing control systems and turbine-related work.
The arrangement has allowed Russia to retain control of the project’s nuclear core while South Korean companies handle major elements of its conventional power-generation infrastructure.
The sources said South Korea had taken on work that US company General Electric did not proceed with following the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
Egypt currently plans four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors at El Dabaa, with a total capacity of 4.8 gigawatts.
The proposed expansion could eventually increase capacity to 9.6 gigawatts by 2040, according to the sources.
Nuclear energy experts said Esmat’s remarks “open the door to transforming El Dabaa from a four-unit plant into a larger nuclear complex”.
No cost estimate, reactor models or timetable have yet been announced for the additional units.
However, the experts said Cairo increasingly views El Dabaa as “the nucleus of a long-term nuclear programme, rather than a standalone project that ends with the operation of four reactors”.
South Korea’s involvement in the project expanded rapidly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine complicated Western-linked supply chains.
Experts at Egypt’s Nuclear Energy Authority told The New Arab that Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom accelerated moves to bring Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power into El Dabaa as the key supplier for the turbine island and associated control systems for the four Russian units.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed a $2.25 billion contract with Russia’s Atomstroyexport in Cairo on 25 August 2022, months after the outbreak of the war and the introduction of Western sanctions.
Russia nevertheless remained El Dabaa’s general contractor and the supplier of its nuclear technology.
South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility subsequently took on part of the turbine work under a contract worth around $1.15 billion, covering buildings and equipment associated with turbines, generators, cooling systems and water treatment, with implementation extending to 2029.
Sources said the Korean side consulted US authorities over the agreement to ensure that its involvement did not breach sanctions on Russia.
The resulting “hybrid” arrangement kept Rosatom responsible for the VVER-1200 reactors, primary-circuit systems and other main nuclear equipment, while South Korean firms handled turbines and control equipment used to convert the reactors’ thermal energy into electricity.
Egyptian companies are also involved in civil construction and other supporting work at the site.
The expansion plans come as El Dabaa remains under scrutiny over its construction and safety record.
A Politico investigation previously raised questions over alleged construction defects and internal safety concerns at the site, citing internal documents.
Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority and Rosatom rejected suggestions that the project was unsafe, saying any cases of non-conformity were subject to repair, inspection and approval before work progressed to subsequent stages.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Social Democratic Party MP Freddy Elbaiady submitted a parliamentary question on Wednesday to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the electricity minister over concerns surrounding the project’s construction, safety and timetable.
Elbaiady called on the government to provide “documented answers” and independent technical and regulatory evidence showing that the concerns had been addressed and would not threaten the project’s safety or impose additional financial costs on the Egyptian state.
