Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
Iran is taking preliminary steps to produce uranium fuel with a purity of 20 percent for reactors, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said in an exclusive interview with the IRIB News Agency, Trend reports via Press TV.
He noted that the new nuclear fuel produced by domestic specialists will be able to keep all kinds of reactors, similar to the Tehran Research Reactor, running.
“Preliminary steps have been taken to design modern fuel with a purity of 20 percent for reactors and we are on the threshold [of producing it],” Salehi said. “This [new] product is different from the previous 20-percent fuel and we can supply fuel to any reactor similar to the Tehran [Research] Reactor.”
Iran’s nuclear chief added that the Tehran Research Reactor has been operating on older types of nuclear fuel so far, but the new modern fuel will boost its productivity.
He said Iranian scientists have made such remarkable advances in the field of nuclear technology that instead of reverse engineering, they are now capable of designing new fuel, which is a major achievement for the country.
Salehi further stated that supplying fuel and designing the control room were major steps in building a reactor.