Iran: preliminary work underway for new nuclear power plant
Washington, 24 August (IranVNC)—Iran said today that it has selected the site and started preliminary design work on a new nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, the official IRNA news agency reports.
By: IranVNC
Published: Sunday, August 24, 2008
12:00GMT—8:00AM/EST
IRAN – NUCLEAR – PLANTS – RUSSIA
Washington, 24 August (IranVNC)—Iran said today that it has selected the site and started preliminary design work on a new nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, the official IRNA news agency reports.
“We are in the preliminary stages of starting the 360 megawatt [MW] plant,” Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization [IAEO] told IRNA, referring to Iran’s second nuclear power plant to be built in Darkhovin, in the country’s southwest.
He added: “The site has been selected and the preparation process is under way.”
Western powers are locked in a dispute with Iran over its controversial nuclear program, which they suspect Iran of using to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists the program is peaceful.
The International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] has been holding several rounds of talks with Iran to clarify intelligence reports that suggested Iran had studied nuclear weapons design. Iran has in the past rejected the accusations as “baseless”.
IAEA Deputy Director Ollie Heinonen visited Iran twice this month before IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei presents a report to the agency’s Board of Governors on Iran’s nuclear program next month.
Asked about the talks, ISNA quotes Saeedi as saying: “We are trying to answer the agency’s [IAEA] questions.”
He added: “We have answered in accordance with the modalities and will answer based on the legal foundations.”
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency [FAAE], Sergei Kiriyenko, is expected to visit Tehran next month to discuss the start date for Iran’s first power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr. According to ISNA, Kiriyenko said earlier in the spring that the 1,000 MW capacity Russian-built plant should be operational by this fall.
When asked about Kiriyenko’s visit, Saeedi said: “We are negotiating until the time [of his trip] is specified.”
IAEO head Reza Aghazadeh was quoted by semi-official ISNA news agency today as saying: “I believe that the plant will be at the preliminary operational stage [of burning fuel] before the end of the year,” referring to the current Iranian year, which ends on 20 March 2009.
The Bushehr plant has been hit with numerous delays due to financial disputes between Iran and Russia, among other reasons. Russia delivered its last shipment of nuclear fuel for the power plant in January.
Aghazadeh told ISNA that he sees no more reason for a delay in the plant’s start up.
“Iran has made available all the necessary facilities for the Russian contractors for the quickest start for this plant and there is no more place for them [Russia] to justify [a delay].”
Sources: IRNA in Persian, ISNA in Persian
© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.