Rosatom Says It Overcame Attempts to Disrupt Egypt’s El Dabaa Nuclear Project

Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News

Egypt News

Rosatom chief executive Alexei Likhachev said the Russian state nuclear corporation had faced what he described as “acts of international sabotage” aimed at obstructing construction of Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear power plant. He said the company had overcome the challenges, which also included the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions.

Likhachev made the remarks during a session on nuclear technology in Africa at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow on October 28. He credited the teams working at the plant site and support from the presidents of Russia and Egypt for helping the project move forward. He did not identify the countries he accused of attempting to disrupt construction or provide details about the alleged acts.

The claims were presented by Rosatom’s chief as an account of obstacles encountered during the project. No evidence or independent confirmation of the alleged sabotage was included in the remarks described at the session. Likhachev’s statement therefore leaves unanswered what actions he was referring to, when they took place, or how they affected construction.

El Dabaa is Egypt’s first nuclear power plant and is being built by Rosatom. The project is designed to include four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactor units, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. Together, they would provide a planned generating capacity of 4,800 megawatts. The plant is located at El Dabaa on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

The project is a major component of nuclear cooperation between Moscow and Cairo. Its scale and long construction timeline make it a high-profile test of the two countries’ ability to sustain a complex infrastructure undertaking through disruptions. Likhachev’s remarks placed the alleged sabotage alongside the pandemic and sanctions, but he did not quantify the cost, delays or other effects of any of those challenges.

Construction of a nuclear plant involves an extended sequence of engineering, equipment delivery and installation work. The project’s progress also depends on coordination among the company, local authorities and contractors. In his account, Likhachev emphasized the role of workers at the site and political support from the two countries’ leadership, presenting those factors as central to keeping the project on course.

The comments came as Russia hosted its third summit with African countries and an accompanying economic and humanitarian forum on October 28 and 29. The gathering brought together Russia and delegations from 48 African countries, according to the event information. Nuclear energy was among the subjects discussed, with the session in which Likhachev spoke focused on how nuclear technology could contribute to Africa’s future.

For Moscow, El Dabaa is also a prominent example of its nuclear sector’s engagement with the continent. Rosatom has used the summit to discuss its wider energy cooperation with African states. Likhachev’s remarks about the Egyptian project thus connected the specific construction effort with Russia’s broader pitch for long-term technological partnerships in Africa.

The company’s account did not establish whether the alleged attempts came from governments, private groups or other actors. Nor did Likhachev specify whether “sabotage” referred to physical interference, political pressure, supply-chain disruption or another form of obstruction. Without those details, the accusation remains broad, while the challenges he named pandemic impacts and sanctions were likewise not broken down by their particular consequences for the site.

The Russian executive’s comments underscore how Rosatom is framing the project: as a major undertaking that has continued despite external pressures and required sustained cooperation between the two governments. But the remarks offered no new construction timetable, updated completion target or detailed assessment of progress. They focused instead on the difficulties the company says it encountered and its assertion that those obstacles had been overcome.

The summit continues through October 29, with leaders and representatives using the Moscow gathering to discuss economic, technological and other areas of cooperation. Likhachev’s statement put the El Dabaa plant at the center of the nuclear discussion, while leaving key questions about the alleged sabotage—including the identity of those responsible and the evidence behind the claim—unanswered.

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