Construction of a nuclear plant by Russia's state-owned energy corporation Rosatom on Egypt's north coast has begun, according to a joint statement from the company and Egyptian authorities.
The plant at El-Dabaa is Egypt's first and is planned to have four units, each with a generating capacity of 1,200MW, according to the statement posted by the Egyptian nuclear authority late on Wednesday.
Egyptian Energy Minister Mohamed Shaker was quoted as saying the pouring of concrete for the first unit marked an "historic event" for Egypt, made possible by Egyptian-Russian cooperation.