Iran to launch Bushehr nuclear power plant

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi said Wednesday his country is planning for the official inauguration of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran in mid-November or in December, the local satellite Pess TV reported. The Bushehr nuclear power plant is currently nearing its pre- operation phase which means that initial tests for its reactor and turbine are in the final stages, Abbasi was quoted as saying. He said that the steam which had already been produced in the plant is currently injected to the turbine and electricity is generated which is tentatively and in intervals connected to the electricity grid for the tests required. Abbasi said Sunday that the first phase of Bushehr nuclear power plant will be commissioned by the end of August if the tests underway are completed. If the tests are completed, the first stage of the Bushehr nuclear power plant will surely become operational by the end of Ramadan (August), said Abbasi. He added that the nuclear power plant will join the national grid at the first phase and can consequently generate 40 percent of its total power generation. Construction of the Bushehr plant began in 1975 by several German companies. However, work was halted when the United States imposed an embargo of hi-tech supplies on Iran after the 1979 revolution. Russia signed a contract with Iran to complete the construction in 1998. Completion of the plant's construction has been postponed several times due to technical and financial challenges and pressure from the United States.