The installation ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, senior government officials, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev.
The reactor pressure vessel, which houses the reactor core where controlled nuclear reactions take place, is one of the plant's most critical components. Its installation signals the project's transition to a more advanced stage of construction, with work proceeding according to schedule and international nuclear safety standards.
In his address, Madbouly described the milestone as another step towards completing one of Egypt's flagship national projects, saying it transforms the country's decades-old ambition of developing peaceful nuclear energy into reality.
He credited President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi with reviving the long-delayed project after Egypt signed an intergovernmental agreement with Russia in 2015, describing El Dabaa as one of the key pillars of the country's Vision 2030 strategy.
"The global energy challenges of recent years have confirmed the importance of Egypt's strategy to diversify its energy mix and expand clean, sustainable energy sources," Madbouly said, adding that nuclear power would provide a reliable source of electricity, reduce carbon emissions, and support the country's climate commitments.
Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said construction was progressing rapidly, noting that the reactor vessel for Unit 2 was installed only seven months after the same operation was completed for Unit 1. He said the project would now move to the next phase, including welding the reactor's main coolant pipeline.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi praised the progress made on the project and reaffirmed the agency's support for Egypt's peaceful nuclear programme through cooperation on nuclear safety, security, and technical assistance.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met Grossi in El Alamein and hailed the IAEA's technical support for Egypt's nuclear programme. Abdelatty said the El Dabaa project is a strategic national undertaking that will diversify Egypt's energy sources, increase reliance on clean energy, and support sustainable development.
Abdelatty and Grossi also discussed regional developments, with the Egyptian FM stressing the need to prioritize diplomatic solutions to regional crises and expressing hope that recent understandings between the United States and Iran could help revive negotiations and reduce tensions. Grossi, for his part, praised Egypt's progress on El Dabaa and its efforts to promote regional stability through diplomacy.
Located in Egypt's Mediterranean city of El Dabaa, the plant will comprise four Russian-designed VVER-1200 Generation III+ reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, for a total generating capacity of 4,800 megawatts. It is Egypt's first nuclear power plant and one of Africa's largest peaceful nuclear energy projects.
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