BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 31. Russia has pledged to cooperate in the construction of the second and third power units of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, and this work is progressing rapidly, Iranian Vice President and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami told reporters, Trend reports.
He stated that they are currently transporting six million cubic meters of soil for the construction of the second and third units of Bushehr NPP. Concreting works have started in connection with the construction of the block building. Currently, these units employ 4,000 people.
Eslami stated that they have signed contracts to produce equipment and consumables domestically for use on the blocks. The area where the blocks will be located receives the produced equipment and consumables.
Given the acceleration of construction programs, the Iranian VP stated that the second unit will be operational in the next five years and the third unit in 18 months.
He added that friendly and constructive relations are developing between Iran and Russia. The signing of memoranda will further strengthen the relations between the two countries. The development of railroad infrastructure within the framework of the North-South international corridor and the growth of trade ties between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union are examples of cooperation between the two nations.
Meanwhile, the first unit of Iran's Bushehr NPP began operation in 2011. The Russian Nuclear Company transferred the unit's operation to an Iranian company in 2013. Since 2013, this unit has produced a maximum of 1,000 megawatt hours of electricity. In 10 years, electricity production at Bushehr NPP has amounted to more than 65 billion kilowatt-hours.
To note, construction of Bushehr NPP units 2 and 3 began in 2017 on an area of 50 ha. Once operational, each of these units can generate 1,057 megawatts of electricity. The commissioning of these two units will save 10 million barrels of crude oil or 1.6 bcm of gas per year and prevent the release of seven million tons of polluting gases into the environment.
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