Iran hopeful to launch Bushehr nuclear power plant soon
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E-mail Xinhua, February 29, 2012
Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi said Wednesday that Iran is hopeful to launch Bushehr nuclear power plant with full capacity soon, the state IRIB TV reported.
Abbasi expressed hope that Bushehr nuclear power plant reaches its full capacity of producing 1,000 megawatt of electricity in the Iranian calendar month of Farvardin, from March 20 to April 20, 2012.
"By good cooperation of the Russian contractor and the efforts of the AEOI staff, the Bushehr power plant achieved 750 megawatt capacity on Feb. 11 (on the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic revolution) and after that we are busy conducting the relevant tests," he was quoted as saying.
On Sunday, Abbasi said that "Nuclear electricity (produced by Bushehr power plant) with 1,000 megawatt capacity will be connected to national grid early next year (according to Iranian calendar which begins on March 20, 2012)."
Diverse tests are being carried out and after the tests are proved successful the full capacity of electricity production by the power plant will be achieved, he said.
In November 2011, Abbasi announced that Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant would be launched with its full capacity in early February 2012.
On Oct. 16, 2011, AEOI announced that Bushehr nuclear power plant completed the preliminary stage of its connection to the national grid "successfully" and was temporarily disconnected in order to undergo some tests. The power plant would be reconnected soon and would reach its full capacity in November, according to AEOI's announcement.
Iran held a ceremony in September 2011 to mark the preliminary launch of the delayed Bushehr project.
The construction of the plant halted when the United States imposed a hi-tech embargo on Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Russia signed a contract with Iran in 1998 to complete the construction. However, the project was postponed several times due to technical and financial challenges as well as pressure from the United States.
