Iran's 1st atomic power plant ready for activation

Dubai, Aug 14: Iran is set to acquire its first civilian nuclear power plant following Russia"s announcement on Friday, Aug 13 that atomic fuel will be loaded in the facility from August 21.

As per The Hindu report, Sergei Novikov, the spokesman for the Russian atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, said that loading of fuel would be a key step for starting the reactor and the process is expected to be completed in 2-3 weeks.

“This will be an irreversible step," Mr. Novikov was quoted as saying. “At that moment, the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be certified as a nuclear energy installation," he added. “That means the period of testing is over and the period of the physical start-up has begun, but this period takes about two and a half months." The first fissile reaction is expected in October.

Russia took over the plant in 1995, after the German power firm Kraftwerk Union withdrew from the project, following Iran"s Islamic Revolution of 1979. Earlier in March, the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin had said that Russia planned to start the Bushehr reactor in the summer of 2010.

OneIndia News