El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Project Construction Phase Begins in Egypt—The “first concrete” pouring for the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 has been performed by Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom Director General, and Mohamed Shaker, Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy at a ceremony held to commemorate the historic event.
Dr. Amged El-Wakeel, Board Chairman of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt (NPPA), the owner and future operator of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, awarded honorary plaques commemorating the first concrete pouring to His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Shaker, Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Major-General Khaled Shoeib, the Governor of Matrouh, where the project is being built, Dr. Samy Shaaban Attallah, Chairman of the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA), Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom Director General, Alexander Korchagin, Senior Vice President of ASE JSC and Grigory Sosnin, Vice President of ASE JSC and General Supervisor of the El-Dabaa NPP Project Management.
Mohamed Shaker and Alexey Likhachev also awarded members of the joint Russian-Egyptian project team in recognition of their outstanding efforts with commemorative medals.
Earlier, on 29 June 2022, ahead of schedule, the ENRRA issued the construction permit for the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, allowing concrete pouring to commence.
“The construction launch at the El-Dabaa NPP Unit 1 means that Egypt has joined the nuclear club. Rosatom will build cutting-edge power units of VVER-1200 design in the Arab Republic of Egypt. We have gained experience constructing and operating NPPs with such reactors both in Russia and abroad. Construction of the nuclear power plant will allow Egypt to reach a new level of technology, industry and education development.
The plant will be the largest project of the Russian-Egyptian cooperation since the Aswan High Dam. Having its own nuclear energy industry has been a dream for the Egyptian people for more than half-a-century, and it is a great honor for Rosatom to make this dream come true,” Alexey Likhachev noted emphasizing the significance of the event.
Amged El-Wakeel, Board Chairman of the NPPA, welcomed the attendees and stated: “I would like to welcome all of you in today’s ceremony arranged to commemorate the pouring of the first concrete for the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, which we are celebrating in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Shaker, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy and Dr. Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom.
This day would not have been possible without the wise decision of His Excellency Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to initiate the Egyptian Nuclear Project, following which all state entities sparred no efforts to achieve this common goal through a deep understanding of the nature of Egypt’s Nuclear Programme, as part of the comprehensive renaissance contributing to the new republic.”
Mohamed Shaker also stated: “The ceremony commemorating the pouring of the first concrete for Unit 1 is a great delight for us. The commencement of full-scale construction of Unit 1 is a historic event for Egypt. The political leadership and the Egyptian-Russian cooperation contributed to the implementation of this ambitious project despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, which did not have a negative impact on the project.”
The El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt. It will be constructed in the city of El-Dabaa, Matrouh Governorate, on the Mediterranean coast, roughly 300 km north-west of Cairo.
The El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant will consist of 4 units with a generating capacity equivalent to 1200 MW per unit using generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors (pressurized water reactors). This is the most advanced technology to date and it has already been successfully implemented and operated in Russia and abroad.
The Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division unites the leading companies of the nuclear industry in Russia and abroad.
The Engineering Division ranks first in the world by the order portfolio and the number of NPPs constructed simultaneously across the world.
686 Days and Counting: Hull Loss Keeps Man United Fan Away From the Barber—-Frank Ilett’s bizarre haircut challenge has entered another chapter after Manchester United’s 2–0 defeat to Hull City extended his wait for a five-match winning streak.
For most football fans, a disappointing result means a few hours of frustration before attention turns to the next match.
For Frank Ilett, a Manchester United defeat means something rather different: another few weeks with the same haircut.
Ilett has now reached 686 days without cutting his hair, as his unusual challenge continues following United’s shock 2–0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City at the MKM Stadium.
The challenge began in October 2024, when Ilett decided he would not cut his hair until Manchester United recorded five consecutive victories. What started as a light-hearted challenge has since turned into a remarkable test of patience.
And he is still waiting.
Hull Put Another Hold on the Challenge
There had been renewed optimism that Ilett might finally be getting closer to a haircut after United ended last season with back-to-back victories.
A win over Hull would have given them a third consecutive victory and kept the possibility of reaching the required five-match run alive.
Instead, the newly promoted Tigers produced a memorable performance, beating United 2–0 in front of their home supporters.
Semi Ajayi opened the scoring before Nobel Mendy doubled Hull’s advantage, both goals arriving in the first half.
The result brought United’s winning momentum to an abrupt end — and ensured Ilett’s hair would continue growing.
“This Was Meant to Be One of the Easier Games”
Speaking after the defeat, Ilett admitted that he had expected a very different outcome.
He had viewed the trip to Hull as one of the more manageable fixtures on United’s schedule and was clearly disappointed by the manner of the defeat.
The fan also criticised United’s performance, suggesting that Hull showed greater urgency and desire throughout the contest.
For Ilett, however, the consequences extend beyond the league table.
Every defeat means another delay.
A Challenge That Has Lasted Nearly Two Years
Ilett began his challenge after United’s most recent five-game winning run, which came between January and February 2024.
Since then, the club have failed to produce the sequence required to send him to the barber.
Nearly two years later, the challenge has become an internet curiosity among Manchester United supporters, many of whom have followed the progress of his increasingly lengthy hairstyle.
The latest defeat means the earliest Ilett could potentially complete the challenge is September 20, but only if United win their next five matches.
Those fixtures include meetings with Ipswich Town, Everton, Manchester City, Fulham and their opening Champions League league-phase opponent.
One slip-up would mean the challenge continues.
United’s Results Decide the Fate of His Hair
While United’s immediate concern will be recovering from their disappointing start to the campaign, Ilett will once again be watching every result with a very different interest.
For the players, five consecutive victories would mean momentum and points.
For Ilett, it would finally mean a trip to the barber.
Until then, the scissors remain untouched.
Day 686 has come and gone — and Frank Ilett’s Manchester United-inspired haircut challenge continues
The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Adeola Ajakaiye, for questioning after he made a quiet but suspicious demand for the chair used by Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji during a thanksgiving service at Babamuboni Memorial Anglican Church, Iyin-Ekiti.
According to leaked correspondences exchanged between Babamuboni Anglican Church and Oluyin’s Palace, Governor Oyebanji had attended an event on May 31, 2026 at the invitation of Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, an indigene of Iyin-Ekiti few days to the state’s gubernatorial election.
How Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti Strangely Demanded Governor’s Seat
It was gathered that after the church program, the Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Ajakaiye quietly and specifically requested for the chair which the Governor sat on during the church program.
The church’s Vicar who suspected a mischief by the Oluyin’s palace politely declined the estranged and bizzare request.
According to the church, the decline made Oba Oluyin furious who immediately influenced the untimely transfer of the church’s vicar, Ven. Dr. Samuel Sunday Agunbiade from the church.
The Palace, in a letter addressed to the church , insisted that the governor’s seat be surrendered for “royal custody and appropriate traditional rites.”
In the said letter from the Oluyin-in-Council to the church, they strangely said that “the replacement chair to be commissioned henceforth shall be placed under strict and adequate guard at all times, to avert any future desecration or recurrence of such grave oversight against the sanctity of the stool.”
Meanwhile, the request which has been described as barbaric and bizarre in Nigeria’s political and religious history, immediately raised suspicion and outrage within the community.
The Position of the Anglican Church
The Anglican Church, in its formal reply, rejected the demand, stressing that church property is held in trust under ecclesiastical governance. It further explained that the chair no longer existed, having already been dismantled and incorporated into the altar furnishing.
According to the church, “Consequently, the Church is not at liberty to surrender, transfer, or remove dedicated Church property for external purposes outside the procedures prescribed by ecclesiastical authority.
“As custodians of these properties, we are duty-bound to preserve and administer them in accordance with the doctrine, discipline, and governance of the Church.”
Despite the stance of the church to strictly adhere to its ecclesiastical responsibilities and constitutional obligations, the palace persisted.
Outrage in Iyin-Ekiti as Residents React
Residents of Iyin-Ekiti alleged that the monarch’s insistence was not cultural but sinister with claims that the chair might be for ritual manipulation against the governor whom at the time was preparing for his re-election.
They noted that the DSS invitation to the Oluyin underscores how seriously the security agency views the matter stressing that there are sinister motive behind the estranged act.
It was equally gathered that the fallout extended to the church leadership. Ven. Dr. Agunbiade, the vicar who stood firm against the palace’s demand, was transferred under circumstances widely perceived as punitive.
Residents noted that while governors, presidents, and dignitaries have attended church services across Nigeria and Ekiti State in particular for decades, never has a demand been made for their chairs to undergo “traditional rites.”
They described the incident as mischievous while calling for a thorough investigation by the DSS to unravel the mystery and sinister motives behind the bizzare request of the monarch.