Egypt Prepares for New Step Towards Completing Construction of Dabba Nuclear Plant

Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
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Egypt Prepares for New Step Towards Completing Construction of Dabba Nuclear Plant

Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)

Egypt is moving towards a new executive step in inaugurating its first nuclear plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast.

Egypt is preparing to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit had significant implications, including an "end to Moscow's isolation" and "pushing towards a greater role for Moscow in the region."

Putin will visit Egypt to participate in laying the foundation for the fourth reactor, confirmed Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"Yes, preparations are already underway, and this event is very important," Peskov told reporters on Friday.

According to the Russia’s RT Arabic, Peskov said Russia's cooperation with Egypt continues in various fields. Cairo "is a very important partner, including in the field of this advanced technology, which is crucial for further development in Egypt."

Moreover, Peskov stressed that Russia is an unparalleled leader in the global nuclear industry.

"We provide better, cheaper, and higher quality services, making it extremely challenging for other participants in this market to compete with us," he stated.

4 Generation III Reactors

In 2015, Egypt contracted with the Russian state company Rosatom to establish a nuclear station in Dabaa.

The plant will include four "Three +" generation reactors operating with pressurized water, with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts, 1,200 megawatts each, with the first reactor scheduled to be launched in 2028 at a cost of up to $30 billion.

Egypt's former Ambassador to Moscow and Director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs Ezzat Saad told Asharq Al-Awsat that Putin's visit underlines the importance of bilateral relations and cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Saad added that the visit is evidence of significant and sustainable strategic cooperation between Cairo and Moscow.

Rosatom

Russia's Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation recently announced it was opening a representative office in Egypt.

Director of Rosatom's country office in Egypt Murad Aslanov said Rosatom has launched an industry-wide initiative to consolidate its foreign presence's office infrastructure.

The Dabaa station is the company's most significant project in Africa. Located in the Matrouh Governorate, it is Egypt’s first nuclear facility.

Under the agreement, the Russian company will deliver nuclear fuel, train personnel, and provide support in the operation and servicing for the first ten years of the operation of each unit.

Political science professor at Cairo University Nourhan al-Sheikh echoed the ambassador's statement, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that Putin's visit reflects the strength of the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Russia that has been ongoing for the past two years.

Sheikh confirmed that Russia can no longer be isolated, especially after Putin visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE last year.

Putin is acting according to agendas and agreements with friendly countries, and sanctions or the International Criminal Court's (ICC) ruling have no impact, said the professor.

Putin's isolation

Since the Russian war on Ukraine in February 2022, the US and Europe have sought to isolate Putin, who broke the seclusion with his state visits to Saudi Arabia and the UAE last December.

Putin's visit to Cairo confirms Moscow's interest in the Middle East region, said Sheikh, noting that Russia is boosting its role in the Middle East and Africa. The Gaza war is one of the important issues that will be discussed by President Abdulfattah al-Sisi and Putin.

Sheikh added that Moscow is interested in the Red Sea and is aware that the military actions of the US and UK forces in the waterway not only target the Houthi militias in Yemen, but Russia and China as well.

Russian president's visit

The former diplomat stressed that many regional issues will be discussed during Sisi and Putin’s meeting.

The US must review its Middle East policy, he stressed, explaining that Washington's insistence on siding with Israel and its inability to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza have harmed its credibility.

Saad elaborated that Russian positions on regional crises may lead to rapprochement between nations, but within limited capabilities given Moscow's preoccupation with its war on Ukraine and its domestic economic concerns.

Sheikh said Russia is concerned with the stability of the Middle East and sees this as achieving its interests, in contrast to the United States, which prefers instability.

The Russian policy towards regional issues has gained traction compared to the decline in public acceptance of Washington, she noted.

Recent years have witnessed intense competition between the US and Europe, on the one hand, and Russia and China, on the other, for influence in Africa. Moscow has boosted its commercial presence in Africa and in the Middle East.



Crops Wither in Sudan as Power Cuts Cripple Irrigation

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
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Crops Wither in Sudan as Power Cuts Cripple Irrigation

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa

Hatem Abdelhamid stands amid his once-thriving date palms in northern Sudan, helpless as a prolonged war-driven power outage cripples irrigation, causing devastating crop losses and deepening the country's food crisis.

"I've lost 70 to 75 percent of my crops this year," he said, surveying the dying palms in Tanqasi, a village on the Nile in Sudan's Northern State.

"I'm trying really hard to keep the rest of the crops alive," he told AFP.

Sudan's agricultural sector -- already battered by a two-year conflict and economic crisis -- is now facing another crushing blow from the nationwide power outages.

Since the war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023, state-run power plants have been repeatedly targeted, suffering severe damage and ultimately leaving farms without water.

Like most Sudanese farms, Abdelhamid's depends on electric-powered irrigation -- but the system has been down "for over two months" due to the blackouts.

Sudan had barely recovered from the devastating 1985 drought and famine when war erupted again in 2023, delivering a fresh blow to the country's agriculture.

Agriculture remains the main source of food and income for 80 percent of the population, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Now in its third year, the conflict has plunged more than half the population into acute food insecurity, with famine already taking hold in at least five areas and millions more at risk across conflict-hit regions in the west, center and south.

The war has also devastated infrastructure, killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced 13 million.

A 2024 joint study by the United Nations Development Programme and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found that nearly a third of rural households have lost irrigation and water access since the war began.

Without electricity to power his irrigation system, Abdelhamid -- like thousands of farmers across the country -- was forced to rely on diesel-powered pumps.

But with fuel scarce and prices now more than 20 times higher than before the war, even that option is out of reach for many.

"I used to spend 10,000 Sudanese pounds (about four euros according to the black market rate) for irrigation each time," said another farmer, Abdelhalim Ahmed.

"Now it costs me 150,000 pounds (around 60 euros) because there is no electricity," he told AFP.

Ahmed said he has lost three consecutive harvests -- including crops like oranges, onions, tomatoes and dates.

With seeds, fertilizers and fuel now barely available, many farmers say they won't be able to replant for the next cycle.

In April, the FAO warned that "below average rainfall" and ongoing instability were closing the window to prevent further deterioration.

A June study by IFPRI also projected Sudan's overall economic output could shrink by as much as 42 percent if the war continues, with the agricultural sector contracting by more than a third.

"Our analysis shows massive income losses across all households and a sharp rise in poverty, especially in rural areas and among women," said Khalid Siddig, a senior research fellow at IFPRI.