Iranian first nuclear power plant joined the national grid with the capacity of 450 MW, ISNA reported.
The nuclear facility went on stream on September 3 with the power of roughly 60 MW. It gained 50 percent of its nominal power last week as it reached the capacity of 450 MW. However, required tests for guaranteeing coordination between the project and national grid are still under way.
The power plant is scheduled to work with 50 percent of its capacity for 2-3 weeks for necessary tests to be made. The reactor will be then shut down for reviews in equipment and systems. The power plant would be re-launched mid November to reach 75 percent of its power.
The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is located southeast of the city of Bushehr along the Persian Gulf. Construction of the plant was started in 1975 by German companies, but the work was stopped in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution of Iran. A contract for finishing the plant was signed between Iran and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy in 1995, with Russia's Atomstroyexport named as the main contractor. The work was delayed several years by technical and financial challenges as well as by political pressure from the West.
The plant started adding electricity to the national grid on 3 September 2011, and was officially opened in a ceremony on 12 September, attended by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and Head of the Rosatom Sergei Kiriyenko.
The project is considered the first civilian nuclear power plant built in the Middle East. There have been widespread safety concerns about the Bushehr plant, associated with construction of the plant itself, aging equipment at the plant, and understaffing.