KHNP named as sole bidder for portion of El Dabaa equipment and materials

This means that KHNP is the single source bidder eligible to negotiate the terms and conditions of the definitive contract for the proposed transaction, subject to its compliance with ASE procurement procedures and the parties agreeing on such terms, KHNP told World Nuclear News. The parties plan to discuss the price and the main terms of the contract by the end of February and, if negotiations are successful, conclude an agreement in compliance with all internal approval procedures by the end of April, the company added, noting that these are preliminary target dates.

"At the same time, within the framework of the previously concluded agreement, AAEM LLC, a joint venture of Atomenergomash JSC and General Electric, will supply turbine hall equipment for units 1 to 4 of the El Dabaa nuclear power station in Egypt," KHNP said. AAEM will be responsible for designing, manufacturing and supplying four sets of steam turbines, condensers, generators and selected auxiliary equipment, and for technical field advisory services during erection and commissioning of supplied equipment on site. The plant will be equipped with Arabelle half-speed steam turbines and Gigatop 4-pole generators manufactured by General Electric.

The selection of contractors for provision of services and execution of work under the El Dabaa project is carried out in accordance with the procurement procedures of Rosatom, which are an integral part of the contracting process, KHNP said. Egyptian companies Petrojet, Hassan Allam and Arab Contractors have already been selected to be involved in construction work at the site.

Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority in July 2021 applied to the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority for a construction permit for the first two units at El Dabaa, in the Governorate of Matrouh on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about 130 km northwest of Cairo. Egypt's first nuclear power plant is planned to comprise four VVER-1200 units, like those in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets nuclear power plant in Belarus. Rosatom has previously said full-scale construction will begin as soon as the construction permit is granted.

Contracts that entered into force in December 2017 stipulate that Rosatom will build the plant as well as supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle, and assisting Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the first 10 years of its operation. The first groups of specialists from El Dabaa began training at the St Petersburg branch of Rosatom's Technical Academy in September 2021.