Bushehr to enter 'pre-launch phase' Sept. 12

Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr will enter its pre-launch phase on September 12 in the presence of Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tuesday. Shmatko will travel to Tehran on Saturday or Sunday to attend the pre-launch ceremony, Salehi said in an interview with official news agency IRNA. The head of Russia's Federal Agency for Atomic Energy, Sergei Kirienko, could also attend the ceremony, Salehi added. The Bushehr power plant will start working at 40% capacity under the supervision of Russian experts for a year before its final transfer to Iranian technicians, the Iranian minister said. On Monday Bushehr fed its first kilowatts of electricity into the national grid. The plant was generating around 60 megawatts on Saturday evening, IRNA reported. The fuel for Bushehr was provided by Russia, which completed the long-delayed construction of the plant last summer. The plant was expected to start operating in February. Under a bilateral agreement, approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia will initially operate the plant, supply its fuel and take away all the spent fuel for the next two or three years, but will eventually hand over full control to Iran.