Russian nuclear official opens talks with Iranians on power plant
IRNA website
1 Jul 07
Tehran, 1 July: Head of the Russian state-owned Atomstroiexport
company, the nuclear contractor of Iran’s Bushehr power plant, Sergei
Shmatko started talks with Iranian nuclear officials.
Head of Public Relations Department of Iran’s Atomic Energy Development
and Production Company Kamran Kamrani made the remark in an exclusive
interview with IRNA on Sunday [1 July].
He said that Shmatko, who arrived in Tehran early Sunday at the head of
a technical and financial delegation, started talks with officials of
Iran’s Atomic Energy Development and Production Company.
"The sides are to discuss reasons behind delay in executive operation
of Bushehr power plant, in southern Iranian Bushehr Province," he added.
The Iranian delegation to the talks is headed by Deputy Head of the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh.
Atomstroiexport started construction of the first nuclear power plant
in Iran’s Bushehr city on 8 January 1995. It has so far postponed its
commissioning five times under different pretexts.
Based on a primary agreement, Bushehr power plant was set to be
inaugurated in 1999.
Based on the fifth agreement signed by Head of the Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran Reza Aqazadeh and Russia’s atomic energy chief,
Sergei Kiriyenko, on 26 September 2006, the first phase of the power
plant was to be test-operated by end of September 2007 by the Russian
contractor.
The Russian side also agreed to finally inaugurate the plant in
November 2007 and send its fuel to Tehran six months ahead of its
inauguration.
The Russian company had earlier claimed that it could not complete the
project on its due time because Iran had not complied with its
financial commitments on time.
Iran dismissed claims by the Russian contractor and declared that it
had fulfilled its commitments according to the schedule.