Putin and al-Sisi launch El-Dabaa NPP

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took part in the ceremony on the occasion of installation of the reactor vessel of the first power generating unit of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant (NPP) in Egypt.

The two leaders joined the ceremony via videoconference.

The Russian President said that the construction of the El Dabaa NPP has reached a key stage, after which electricity generation will begin in the foreseeable future.

"The construction of Egypt's first NPP, with Russian participation is going smoothly. In fact, we are entering a key stage of technologically equipping the plant, and in the foreseeable future it will be able to begin generating electricity to meet the needs of the growing Egyptian economy," Vladimir Putin said.

The nuclear power plant is being built within the framework of the intergovernmental agreement signed by the countries in 2015. The nuclear power plant is expected to consist of four power units with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts.