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 quoted by Reuters.

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.

Egypt has been considering a nuclear plant at El-Dabaa on and off since the 1980s. Contracts for the plant came into effect in 2017, but the start of construction was delayed for several years.

Rosatom received approval from the Egyptian regulator to start construction on the first unit last month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 2015 that Russia is planning to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt.

The announcement followed an improvement in Russian-Egyptian relations following the election of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

Russia has also in the past signed a $10 billion deal with Jordan to build the kingdom's first nuclear power plant.

Russia has also made plans with Iran to build at least two more nuclear power plants on the Islamic Republic's southern Gulf shores, in the city of Bushehr.

Another country in the region, Saudi Arabia, has not kept its nuclear ambitions secret, but promised that its nuclear program will be used to supply domestic electricity, enabling the country to export more of its oil.

However, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned in 2018 that "without a doubt" if Iran develops nuclear weapons, "we will follow suit as soon as possible."