Bushehr - Housing
In 1974, the German contractor Siemens began construction of two 1,200-1,300 megawatt electric (MWe) pressurized water nuclear reactors near Bushehr. The German program included 2,100 German workers and roughly 7,000 Iranian workers. The resumption of work on the project by Russia in the 1990s does not appear to have resulted in any substantial expansion of the housing infrastructure.
Located north of the reactor site is a residential area, believed to be the housing area for the Iranian workers, with roughly 130 buildings covering total area of over 43,000 square meters. The total floorspace may be some multiple of this area, since the buildings may have a second floor. A large number of buildings in the area are 34 meters long and 12 meters wide. These buildings are present in all available imagery and are currently in various stages of disrepair, with some showing signs of construction and others of disuse.
Other features of the northern area include a concrete building with an area of roughly 3,000 square meters. Three fenced in areas are also present.
The larger residential area located northeast of the reactor site is quite extensive, with somewhat more than 500 buildings. Facilities include swimming pools, tennis courts, a park, and recreation buildings. This area is believed to be the living quarters of the Russian and Iranian technical workers.
The total area covered by the buildings in this section is nearly 192,000 square meters. There are 121 structures that are 15 x 13 meters, and 95 structures that are 8 x 15 meters. In addition, there are five houses that are believed to be for senior officials and their families with an area of about 300 square meters.
There is one security check point to this area and there are walls that divide the area into different sections, sometimes resulting in the blocking-off of roads and access points. It is believed that the wall is intended to divide the Iranians from the Russians. It is not present in the SPOT imagery, which would be consistent with the wall being constructed prior to the resumption of work by the Russians.
| IKONOS Imagery - North Residential Area |
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| This imagery is published as a joint initiative with Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's top daily newspaper, and its intelligence correspondent, Ronen Bergman | |
| Click on the small image to view a larger version |
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| IKONOS Imagery - Northeast Residential Area |
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| Click on the small image to view a larger version |
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