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'Bushehr plant to be utilized soon'

Nuclear Program Materials 11 September 2010 15:41 (UTC +04:00)
Iran's nuclear chief says the Bushehr nuclear power plant will come on stream in late September or early October when fuel is injected into the core of its reactor, PressTv reported
'Bushehr plant to be utilized soon'

Iran's nuclear chief says the Bushehr nuclear power plant will come on stream in late September or early October when fuel is injected into the core of its reactor, PressTv reported.

The next phase of moving the Bushehr power station into service is expected to be completed in the coming days when nuclear fuel will be loaded into the 'heart' of the reactor in late September or early October, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi was quoted by Mehr news agency as saying.

That will hopefully see the plant start generating electricity and joining the national grid by December, Salehi added.

Three weeks ago, fuel was loaded into the facility and placed in the pool next to the reactor in a ceremony attended by Salehi and Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency Director, Sergei Kiriyenko.

The fuel transfer was supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and senior officials from Iran and Russia.

Following the ceremony, Kiriyenko lauded the 'physical launch process' of the facility and said, "The Bushehr plant is a unique power station as most of its parts and equipment have been installed on items mounted by the Germans."

He further expressed satisfaction with Russia's commitment to its part of the deal and noted, "This is an important event. We declare that Russia has stood by all its commitments to the Bushehr nuclear power plant."

The reactor's construction was taken over by Russia in 1995 after the German contractor withdrew from the project soon after the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran.

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