BUSHEHR POWER PLANT TO BE LAUNCHED ON FEB. 25

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.02.2009 11:34 GMT+04:00

"Pilot stage operation" of the power plant will start on Wednesday
during a visit by the head of Russia’s state Rosatom Atomic
Corporation, Sergey Kiriyenko.

"In the presence of the heads of the atomic energy organizations of
Iran and Russia, the pre-commissioning of Bushehr power plant will
be carried out on Wednesday," the IRNA news agency said, quoting Iran
Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Mohsen Delaviz.

It did not say exactly what the pre-commissioning of the much-delayed
plant would involve. Russia took over construction of the $1 billion
contract for the 1,000-MW power plant in 1994 but completion has been
delayed due to a number of factors, including the controversy over
Tehran’s nuclear program.

Some 700 Iranian engineers were trained in Russia to operate the
plant that was expected to become operational in fall of 2008.

Russia had resisted Western calls for tougher sanctions against
Tehran over its nuclear program, which Washington believes is aimed
at building atomic weapons.

Tehran however maintains its nuclear program is purely for peaceful
purposes.

Russia is also one of the six countries negotiating with Iran over
the nuclear issue along with the United States, Britain, China,
France and Germany.

Tehran also plans to build a 360-megawatt nuclear power plant in
Darkhovin, in the southwestern Khuzestan province, IRNA reports.