The Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom has officially started construction works on the 1.2 GW Unit 4 of the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant, located in the Matrouh Governorate (northern Egypt). In September 2023, the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) had granted permission to build the fourth and final unit of the nuclear plant.
The 4.8 GW, US$29bn 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. Rosatom started construction for Unit 3 in May 2023. The Russian company is building the 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.