Builders have completed a key stage in the construction of the containment area of the second power unit of Egypt's first nuclear power plant, El Dabaa NPP — the concreting of the floor slab of the reactor building has been carried out. The massive reinforced concrete structure, several meters thick, closes off the lower level of the containment area, providing waterproofing for the underground premises and forming a reliable foundation for the installation of reactor equipment and the construction of the upper tiers of the building.
Work on the slab was carried out in four technological stages and took about five months. Before the start of the main concreting, the contractor completed preparatory operations: laid a 100 mm thick concrete preparation layer and installed two-layer horizontal waterproofing made of polymer membranes. This system reliably protects the structure from the capillary rise of groundwater, which is critically important for a facility located in the coastal zone of the Mediterranean Sea.
The next stage will be the construction of the reactor's inner protective shell and the subsequent installation of equipment.
At Unit 1 of the El Dabaa NPP, the reactor vessel has already been installed, while foundation work continues at Units 3 and 4.
The plant, being built according to the design of Rosatom State Corporation, will include four power units with a capacity of 1,200 MW each, featuring Generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors, and after commissioning will provide about 5 GWh of electricity per year.