OPEN// Egyptian, Qatari premiers explore ramping up investments
This came during Madbouly's meeting Tuesday evening in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, on his way back from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he attended BRICS meetings on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
For his part, the Qatari premier reaffirmed his country's commitment to strengthening ties with Egypt in all areas, highlighting the ongoing cooperation between the two sides in numerous economic sectors.
He also pointed to Qatar's intention to increase its investments in Egypt.
Cabinet Spokesman Mohamed El Homsani said the meeting reflects the two countries' shared interest in enhancing bilateral cooperation and joint investments.
Madbouly expressed his eagerness to further support joint investments in promising sectors of the Egyptian economy, especially tourism, stressing Cairo's readiness to provide various incentives and facilities for Qatari investors.
The spokesman added that the two sides also discussed joint efforts, in coordination with the United States, to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing both countries' commitment to alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people and ensuring their legitimate rights, particularly their right to self-determination and an independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. (MENA)
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Iran's attack on Qatar air base hit geodesic dome used for US communications, satellite photos show - Region
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Al-Ahram Weekly
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Dabaa: A flagship national project - Features - Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt and Russia are working closely together to construct the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, a major national project. During his participation in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Russian capital Moscow last month, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss relations between the two countries. According to Presidential Spokesman Mohamed Al-Shennawi, a large part of the discussion highlighted the significant progress being made in the construction of the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the northwest of Egypt, a project being developed in cooperation with Russia. 'The two leaders stressed that the Dabaa project is the cornerstone of the strategic relationship between the two countries,' Al-Shennawi said. President El-Sisi emphasised the importance of implementing the Dabaa project on schedule, considering it to be the largest Russian-Egyptian cooperation project since the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s. For his part, President Putin said that the Dabaa project will significantly contribute to developing the Egyptian economy, strengthen the country's energy base, and demonstrate Russia's advanced nuclear technology. El-Sisi and Putin's discussion of the Dabaa project came while senior Egyptian and Russian officials have been holding intensive meetings in Moscow and Cairo in recent weeks to ensure the project goes as planned. In Moscow two months ago, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat met with Alexey Likhachev, director-general of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, which is constructing the Dabaa NPP. El-Sisi met this week with Likhachev in Alamein city. The meeting, the presidential spokesman said, meant at signing an agreement between Egypt and Russia on the building of the Dabaa NPP and related civil defence mechansims, as well as deals on electricty generation. Esmat said the construction of the Dabaa project is moving at a steady pace and that there is close coordination between Egyptian and Russian officials and technicians to ensure it goes according to the predetermined schedule and guarantee the success of Egypt's first nuclear power station. According to a statement from the Electricity Ministry, Esmat's meeting with Likhachev reflected the continuous coordination and strong cooperation between the Egyptian and Russian teams, aimed at achieving shared objectives. 'It aligns with Egypt's national strategy to develop the nuclear energy sector as a cornerstone of its Vision 2030 and broader development agenda, focusing on sustainable and clean energy sources,' the statement said. Esmat reaffirmed that the Dabaa project enjoyed consistent support from Egypt's political leadership, as it would contribute to meeting the country's rising demand for clean electricity, enhance energy security, and support national development goals. He highlighted that the project exemplifies the deep-rooted strategic partnership between Egypt and Russia and serves as a major component of Egypt's peaceful nuclear energy programme. More than 20 per cent of the Dabaa project has been completed so far, he added. The statement indicated that the meeting between Esmat and Likhachev addressed preparations for the delivery and integration of key electrical equipment, including major transformers, into the national grid. Emphasis was also placed on intensifying training programmes to prepare qualified personnel for the plant's operation, alongside measures to accelerate the project's execution. The meeting also covered the progress achieved in engineering, technical, and administrative areas and in capacity-building, with both sides confirming that work is proceeding on schedule and stressing the importance of maintaining regular joint meetings and mutual visits to monitor developments. 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Likhachev also indicated that the ongoing construction of the plant means that Egypt has joined the world's nuclear club. 'The construction of this plant will allow Egypt to reach a new level of technology and industrial and educational development. The plant will be the largest project of Russian nuclear cooperation in Africa and the largest in Egypt since the giant Aswan High Dam project,' he said. 'Having their own nuclear energy industry has been a dream for the Egyptian people for more than half a century, and it is a great honour for Rosatom to make this dream come true.' Sherif Helmi, chair of Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority, the owner and operator of the Dabaa NPP, also held an important meeting last month with Andrey Petrov, president of the Russian Company Atomstroyexport, the general contractor for the Dabaa NPP. The meeting, attended by senior Egyptian and Russian officials overseeing the Dabaa NPP, discussed the latest developments and progress in this vital strategic project. The discussion focused on the importance of enhancing joint coordination and monitoring the progress of work to ensure its implementation according to the specified timetables. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed in detail progress on the various engineering, technical, and administrative aspects of the project in addition to reviewing future plans and targets for achieving its main phases. Helmi and Petrov affirmed their joint commitment to completing all the work within the scheduled deadlines and emphasised the need to enhance close cooperation and overcome any obstacles to ensure efficient and effective progress. THE DABAA PLANT: The Dabaa NPP is under construction in the Matrouh governorate on the Mediterranean coast 170 km west of Alexandria and 320 km northwest of Cairo. Rosatom is the developer of the $30 billion nuclear power plant, which will be owned and operated by Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA). Dabaa is Rosatom's first major nuclear power project in Africa. It will comprise four pressurised water reactors (PWRs) with a total capacity of 4800 MW, which is expected to account for up to 10 per cent of Egypt's power generation capacity. Approval for the plant was obtained from the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) in March 2019, while the construction permit for the first unit of the plant was issued in June 2022. Rosatom started the construction of units one and two in July and November 2022, followed by the pouring of the first concrete for unit three in May 2023. In January 2024, Al-Sisi and Putin joined together via video conference to watch the pouring of the first concrete for the foundation of the fourth and final power unit of the Dabaa project. El-Sisi said 'this is a historic moment that will forever remain engraved in the history and memory of our nation.' He hailed the project as bearing witness to strong Egyptian-Russia cooperation and an additional milestone to those already achieved throughout history. El-Sisi said the Dabaa plant is progressing at a faster pace than planned, reflecting the importance that the Egyptian state attaches to the energy sector as a fundamental driver of economic growth. The four nuclear reactors at the plant are capable of producing 1200 MW each. They use the innovative GEN III+ design, standard technology used today in generating nuclear power around the world. The first unit is expected to begin commercial operations in 2026, while the commissioning of the remaining three reactors is scheduled for 2029. The Dabaa plant will meet the highest safety standards in compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations. The plant will be able to withstand earthquakes of up to an intensity of 9 on the Richter Scale, airplane crashes, explosions, and even tsunamis. Helmi indicated that 'the design lifetime of the plant will be 60 years.' It is expected to generate up to 37 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, meeting around 10 per cent of Egypt's total electricity demand. Plans to construct a nuclear power plant in Egypt were first proposed in 1954, but at the time the country lacked the financial resources necessary to turn this dream into reality. In 1956, Egypt decided to establish the Inshas Nuclear Research Reactor, which was imported from Russia for use in research and studies. This was a Light Water Tank (WWR) type reactor (Light Water Neutron Cooling and Moderation) with a capacity of 2 Megawatts, including an initial fuel load of 3.2 kg of 10 per cent enriched U235 uranium. The reactor is owned and operated by the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), headquartered at the Nuclear Research Centre in Inshas some 40 km northeast of Cairo. The Inshas project came in response to Israel's decision to build a nuclear complex — the Dimona project — in cooperation with France in the mid-1950s. In 1983, Egypt began to revive its nuclear power programme, and the Dabaa site on the Mediterranean coast was selected to host the first nuclear plant. The plan was aborted following the 1986 Chernobyl accident in Ukraine, however. In April 2013, Egypt approached Russia to renew its nuclear cooperation agreement, focusing on the construction of a nuclear power plant at Dabaa. In February 2015, a further agreement was signed between Rosatom and the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, in which they 'agreed to launch detailed discussions on the prospective project'. At that time, President Putin visited Egypt and he and President El-Sisi signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on nuclear power. 'If the final decisions are made, they will relate not only to the construction of a nuclear power plant, but also to the creation of a whole new nuclear power industry in Egypt,' Putin said at a press conference in Cairo. According to reports, the Dabaa NPP will cost around $30 billion. It is being financed through a $25 billion loan extended by Russia to Egypt under a financing agreement signed between the Ministry of Finance of Egypt and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. In November 2015, an intergovernmental agreement was signed with Russia to build and operate the four reactors, including fuel supply, used fuel, training and the development of regulatory infrastructure. A financing agreement for a Russian state export loan was signed, covering 85 per cent of the cost, with repayments to be made over 22 years in 43 equal semi-annual installments (the first installment is due on 15 October 2029). Egypt can repay Russia in either US dollars or in Egyptian pounds and will pay an interest rate of three per cent. Putin has recently approved an amendment to the Dabaa NPP loan that allows Egypt to pay the installments in Russian rubles instead of the currencies agreed on in the original agreement. In May 2017, the gannounced that the loan was for $25 billion and would cover 85 per cent of the cost of the four 1200 MW units, with Egypt committed to raising the remaining 15 per cent ($5 billion) for construction costs, the import of specialised equipment, and technical and managerial expertise. The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy stated in 2020 that 'Egypt will pay its 15 per cent of the costs by selling the energy generated from the nuclear reactors at the plant.' 'This project will not be costing Egypt anything' as a result, said Egypt's former electricity minister Mohamed Shakir, noting that the price of electricity produced by nuclear power is much lower than that produced by natural gas. In April 2019, the NPPA received approval for the Dabaa site from the Egyptian Nuclear Regulation and Radiological Authority (ENRRA). In December 2019, the NPPA signed a further contract with engineering company Worley Ltd to serve as a consultant for the Dabaa project to 2030, providing technical support for the NPPA's design review, project management, procurement, construction management, training, procedure development, quality assurance, and the commissioning of the plant. The Covid-19 pandemic in February 2021 led to the slowing down of the implementation of the Dabaa project. In July 2022, however, work resumed at full capacity and construction permits from ENRRA for units one and two were issued. In March and August 2023, ENRRA issued a construction licence for units three and four. The first concrete for unit four was poured in January 2024. * A version of this article appears in print in the 10 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
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Gaza ceasefire talks held up by Israel withdrawal plans: Palestinian sources - War on Gaza
Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday. Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month war sparked on October 7, 2023. Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living captives who were taken that day and who are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached. But one well-informed Palestinian source said Israel's refusal to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress on securing a deal. "The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel's insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal," the source said. Hamas has said it wants the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which is home to more than two million people. The source said, however, that the Israeli delegation presented a map at the talks which proposed maintaining military forces in more than 40 per cent of the Palestinian territory. "Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimise the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement," the source added. Mediators have asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha, they added. A second Palestinian source said "some progress" had been made on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners and getting more aid to Gaza. But they accused the Israeli delegation of having no authority, and "stalling and obstructing the agreement to continue the war of extermination". Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
