The Russian nuclear energy company Rosatom has started construction on the 1.2 GW third unit at the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant located in the Matrouh Governorate in northern Egypt. The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) had granted Rosatom the construction permit to build the unit in late March 2023.
The 4.8 GW El-Dabaa nuclear power plant, which is expected to become fully operational by 2030, will consist of four VVER-1200 units with a capacity of 1.2 GW each. The first reactor entered construction in July 2022 and the second reactor in November 2022 after receiving approval in late October 2021. Construction for Unit 4 is expected to begin later in 2023. Rosatom is building the El Dabaa nuclear plant under a bilateral agreement signed between Russia and Egypt in November 2015.
Currently, South Africa is the only African nation with commercial nuclear power, as Eskom owns and operates two reactors at the Koeberg plant, with a total capacity of 1.9 GW.