Gowling WLG Advises on Landmark Rosatom El Dabaa Nuclear Power Project

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Gowling WLG has served as the legal adviser on one of the largest
new-build nuclear power construction projects in the world: the El Dabaa
project in Egypt, worth more than US$30 billion.

Gowling WLG acted for Rosatom State Corporation and its subsidiaries in
successfully concluding the negotiation of the transaction. The project
was formally announced in Egypt today at a ceremony attended by Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian Federation President Vladimir
Putin.

The El Dabaa project involves the construction of a 4,800MW nuclear
power station in Egypt, consisting of four 1,200MW nuclear reactors,
along with nuclear fuel, spent fuel, and operations and maintenance
related goods and services. The reactors will be owned and operated by
Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority, part of Egypt’s Ministry of
Energy.

As one of the world’s leading nuclear vendors, Rosatom has one of the
largest portfolios of international nuclear construction projects, with
34 nuclear power plants in 12 countries. It is also one of the top
uranium mining and fuel manufacturing companies in the world.

“El Dabaa is truly a monumental project for Rosatom, the Republic of
Egypt, and for the global nuclear industry as a whole,” said Ahab
Abdel-Aziz, Gowling WLG partner, global director of nuclear power
generation and Rosatom project director. “It marks the first nuclear
power project in a ‘new entrant’ economy since the UAE’s Barakah nuclear
power plant in 2009, and entails the most significant vendor financing
of its kind at US$25 billion.”

Since November 2015, Gowling WLG’s Nuclear Energy Group has played a key
role in the transaction, including negotiating the Engineering,
Procurement and Construction (EPC), Operations Support and Maintenance
(OS&M), Nuclear Fuel Supply (NFS), and Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNFT)
contracts. Gowling WLG’s team also provided strategic advice on risk
management, project delivery, regulatory and licensing requirements, and
nuclear liability.

“We were delighted to contribute to the success of this highly complex
nuclear mandate, and to work alongside other industry-leading experts on
the world stage,” added Abdel-Aziz. “We’re confident that this
transaction will serve as an important precedent for similarly situated
economies, and we hope that it will pave the way for the future
development of nuclear power capacity in countries that have the
greatest need for such capacity.”

In addition to Abdel-Aziz, Gowling WLG’s Canada-based Rosatom team
included Ted
Betts, Paul
Harricks, Ian
Palm, Paul
Murphy, Paul
Armitage, Aubrey
Lasky and Magda
Hanebach.

The professionals in Gowling WLG’s Nuclear
Energy Group have been delivering legal and strategic counsel to
leading members of the Canadian and global nuclear industry and
governments. They are currently advising on nuclear mandates in Canada,
the U.K., Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina, South Africa and
Finland. They have advised on nuclear mandates in other countries around
the world, including the United Arab Emirates, Germany, South Korea,
Australia, China, Russia, Jordan, Romania, and the United States.

Contacts

Gowling WLG
James Hatch, +1 416 862 4695
Media Relations &
Communications Specialist
[email protected]