By: OrePulse

Egypt's state grid operator has finalized contracts to connect the country's first nuclear power plant to the national transmission network, as construction continues on the Mediterranean coast facility.

The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) confirmed two contract awards to engineering firm Elsewedy Electric T&D, covering new 500-kilovolt lines required to tie the 4.8-gigawatt El Dabaa nuclear plant into the grid.

The contract covers two line sections, each roughly 130 kilometers long, which Elsewedy says will be completed within 15 months under a turnkey format. As part of the work, the existing Borg El Arab-Wadi El Natrun 500-kilovolt double-circuit line will be rerouted through a newly built substation at El Dabaa, with new sections entering and exiting the site.

El Dabaa remains under construction on Egypt's north coast. Cairo is targeting delivery of first nuclear fuel to the site in 2027, with the plant's first reactor unit expected to begin operating in 2028. Once the plant is fully operational, El Dabaa is projected to generate approximately 38 terawatt-hours of electricity annually.