Reactor vessel assembled for El Dabaa's first unit
The 10-day process has been completed of welding the closing seam of the reactor vessel being manufactured for the first unit at Egypt's first nuclear power plant.
According to Rosatom, there was continuous heating of the weld and workers used about two tonnes of flux and more than 1.5 tonnes of special wire during the work at the Izhora production site in St Petersburg.
"After welding, the reactor vessel will undergo a heat treatment process, and then a full range of control measures will be carried out in the weld seam areas: X-ray flaw detection, ultrasonic and capillary testing," Rosatom said. "This is necessary to ensure safe operation of the NPP for at least 60 years."
The completed reactor pressure vessel, measuring 11.45 metres in length and 5.7 metres in width, is expected to be delivered to the El Dabaa nuclear power plant site this year.
The El Dabaa nuclear power plant project - about 320 kilometres north-west of Cairo - is based on contracts that entered into force on 11 December 2017. The plant will comprise four VVER-1200 units, like those already in operation at the Leningrad and Novovoronezh nuclear power plants in Russia, and the Ostrovets plant in Belarus.
The contracts stipulate that Rosatom will not only build the plant, but will also supply Russian nuclear fuel for its entire life cycle. They will also assist Egyptian partners in training personnel and plant maintenance for the first 10 years of its operation. Rosatom is also contracted to build a special storage facility and supply containers for storing used nuclear fuel.
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