أحمد عمر

A Politico report based on documents said to be internal to Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear project and Russia’s Rosatom raised concerns about concrete defects, construction quality, project-management practices and possible schedule delays. Egypt’s Nuclear Plants Authority rejected the report as inaccurate and unbalanced, while Rosatom said the allegations had not been substantiated through the project’s technical and contractual processes. Experts told the BBC that construction defects do not automatically indicate a radiation risk, particularly because the four VVER-1200 reactors have not begun operation, but warned that concealment of incidents, falsified records or poor safety culture would be more serious. The project is expected by Egypt to begin generating electricity from its first unit in 2028 and complete all four units by 2030, although an internal Rosatom assessment cited by Politico reportedly anticipated an approximately 18-month delay. The plant is being built by Rosatom at a contracted cost of about $28.5 billion, largely financed by a Russian loan.