Iran Begins New Nuclear Power Plants Construction In Bushehr
By Iran Review
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is set to begin the construction of two more nuclear power plants in the southern city of Bushehr soon.
“In the construction of nuclear power plants, as I have already stated, we hopefully, within the next few months, will be witnessing the launching of new reactors. Activities are going on and they are expanding even in some areas,” Salehi said.
He added that Iran and Russia have signed agreements for the construction of “two big reactors in Bushehr.”
Salehi said the recognition of Iran’s enrichment activities by the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, was “one very good achievement” within a nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“We are one among the very few or probably the very exceptional countries that its enrichment activity has been recognized by an international body such as the UN Security Council,” the AEOI head said, adding, “One of the achievements within this framework is the fact that we were able to sell or we got this opportunity to sell our enriched uranium and get in return natural uranium or the yellowcake.”
He described JCPOA as a “good deal” that allows Iran to enter the club of countries that can enrich uranium and sell it at global market.
Salehi also said Iran and the IAEA have entered into a new phase in cooperation and urged the body to remain impartial.
“The IAEA, being the sole verifying body, needs to keep its integrity and impartiality. Otherwise, its credibility will be questioned,” the Iranian official stated.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran also said the recent exchange of nuclear fuel with Russia was “very profitable.”
The exchange was a significant move through which “the Islamic Republic was able to acquire international recognition for uranium enrichment” and “offer its enriched uranium on international markets,” Salehi said
Salehi said Iran had three options in terms of reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium, as required by the JCPOA.
“We could either dilute it, which was meaningless, or sell it – and the other option was to turn it into the required fuel for the Bushehr” nuclear plant, he said.
The Bushehr plant is Iran’s first nuclear power generation facility in operation. The country plans to build a fuel complex for the facility, which Salehi foresaw to take two years to complete.
“A number of countries have expressed readiness to cooperate in this regard, which is another opportunity provided through the JCPOA where we can use other countries’ experiences.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian nuclear official touched on possible nuclear cooperation between Iran and Spain, saying the issue has not been finalized yet, and “thus details cannot be revealed at this point.”
