The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiation Regulation Authority (ENRRA) made the decision at a board meeting on Monday and informed of a series of on-site inspections to confirm readiness.  Construction permits are expected to be issued on November 19, Egypt's nuclear energy Day.  

The Nuclear Power Plant Authority (NPPA) said: "This important event confirms Egypt's persistence and the progress it has made under the auspices of the country's political leadership in realizing the long-awaited dream of producing clean electricity from nuclear power plants, committed to the highest standards of nuclear safety and security in construction and operation."  

El-Dabaa 2 will be the second VVER-1200 unit at the plant, which is located 320 kilometers west of Cairo on the Mediterranean coast.  Construction of Unit 1 began in July, and applications were submitted in January to build units 3 and 4.  Under the 2017 contract, the reactors are supplied by Russia's Rosatom and are equipped with lifetime nuclear fuel and used fuel storage facilities.  Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp. is constructing 80 buildings and supplying materials for the non-nuclear turbine island.  

Egypt aims to generate 9 percent of its electricity from nuclear power by 2030, when the commercial operation of the first two units will achieve that goal.  Thus, directly replacing oil and gas, nuclear power is a major plank in Egypt's environmental strategy.  Next week, Egypt will host the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.