Iran has launched large-scale reconnoitering operations in the south and central regions of the country to ensure uranium fuel, MEHR news agency quoted Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization as saying.
According to Salehi, after launching the Bushehr nuclear power plant to provide the country with uranium fuel all the attention will be paid to the search of uranium fields.
"The Iranian President has allocated the necessary funds for uranium search. Technical equipment has been allocated. Our work in this area is extended in several times," Salehi said.
"We have started large-scale reconnoitering operations in the country, where presumably are uranium reserves. However, we don't report the results of the exploration. The final results will be announced in the future," Salehi said.
Iran has reserves of 1,400 kg uranium in Bandar Abbas, Saghand and Ardakane fields. These uranium reserves are capable of providing fuel station with a capacity of 1,000 MW within 10 years. In 1970, Iran has purchased 600 tons of "yellow cake" (purified powder of uranium stone) from South Africa. According to information released by the organization "Institute for Science and International Security in 2009, Iran has already enriched the bulk of this "yellow cake", and the country's uranium reserves are coming to the end.