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Russia to continue building nuclear powerplants in Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, Dec 24, IRNA -- Head of Russian Atomic Energy Agency said here
Friday that Moscow will complete the first phase of the Bushehr 
nuclear powerplant in 2005. 
Alexander Rumyantsev said that in addition plans for construction 
of several more nuclear powerplant in Iran is also on the Agenda of 
the Russian Atomic Energy Agency next year. 
He told reporters that the prospects for Bushehr nuclear 
powerplants in bright and it is slated to become operational in 2006. 
said the first phase of the powerplant can generate 1,000 megawatts 
of electricity. 
He had already expressed Moscow`s readiness to build seven new 
powerplants in Iran at a cost of dlrs 10 billion. The Russian 
Atomic Energy Agency also plans to build two nuclear powerplants in 
China and India in 2005, Rumyantsev stated. 
He said that the revenues for exports and services of Russia`s 
Atomic energy-related agencies totalled dlrs 3.5 million in 2004, "a 
500 million increase over the same period in the year before." 
Rumyantsev, is to visit Tehran in late January to hold talks on 
the two countries` continuing nuclear cooperation, a Russian official 
said here last month. 
During Rumyantsev`s upcoming visit to Iran, an agreement for the 
delivery of nuclear fuel and the return of spent nuclear fuel for 
the Bushehr power plant is to be signed between Russia and Iran. 
Iranian officials are now studying the possibilities of the 
project with Russia as well as some other countries. 
Russian officials had previously said that Rumyantsev was to visit
Tehran to sign a final accord on the issue of the return of spent 
nuclear fuel towards the end of 2004. 
Tehran and Moscow are currently working out the technical details 
of an agreement that would bring the nuclear power plant in the 
Iranian port city of Bushehr on line in 2006. 
The issue on the return of spent nuclear fuel has seen operations 
of the power plant pushed back several times from its initial target 
of 2003. 
In August, Iran said the plant would become operational in October
2006, a year behind schedule. 
Once operational, the Bushehr power plant is projected to generate
1,000 megawatts of electricity, 6,000 megawatts less than Iran`s 
nuclear power production target for 2021. 
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