| TEHRAN (FNA)- Head of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) Sergei Kiriyenko is scheduled to arrive in Iran on Friday to visit the country’s first nuclear power plant in Bushehr. | ||
During the visit which will take place concurrent with the transfer of fuel to the Bushehr nuclear power plant reactor by Russian contractors, Kiriyenko will be briefed about the latest progresses made in the construction of the power plant.
Reports also said Russian Energy Minister Sergey Ivanovich Shmatko will likely accompany Kiriyenko during the trip.
Russia announced that it plans to load fuel into the Bushehr Power Plant reactor on August 21.
“The fuel will be loaded in the reactor on August 21. From this moment, Bushehr will be considered a nuclear installation,” Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov said on Friday.
“This can be considered as the physical launch,” he went on to say.
Iranian officials say they have already completed the principal tests for the plant in preparations for the inauguration of the power plant.
Russia has been building the nuclear facility in Iran since 1994. The start-up of the station, originally scheduled to be completed in 1999, has been delayed on several occasions.
Western corporations began the construction of the Bushehr facility in the 1970s. However, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Western companies reneged on their commitments and pulled out of the project due to political pressure from Washington.
Iran then turned to Russia to complete the project. In 1992, Tehran and Moscow signed a deal to complete the construction of the nuclear power plant.
Windows to Russia!
- America Crys Foul but Russia Will Start Irans Nuclear Plant… (windowstorussia.com)
- Iran to gain nuclear power as Russia loads fuel into Bushehr reactor (guardian.co.uk)
- Iran will build uranium enrichment centers, nuclear chief says (cnn.com)
- Russia: Iran’s nuclear plant to start next week (dailycaller.com)
- Russia: Iran’s Nuclear Plant to Start Next Week (abcnews.go.com)
- Iran’s Nuclear Plant to Start Next Week (abcnews.go.com)
- Russia: Iran’s nuclear plant to start next week (ctv.ca)
- Iran’s Nuclear Chief: Bushehr Plant Will Go Online by Month’s End (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- Russia: Iran’s nuclear plant to start next week (sfgate.com)
- Iran’s Nuclear Plant to Start Next Week (online.wsj.com)