The Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is negotiating with Iran on the construction of another nuclear power plant in the country, CEO Alexey Likhachev announced at the Future Technologies Forum.
"We see Iran's government taking an active stance in advancing nuclear energy. On our end, we are accelerating our efforts and are engaged in large-scale negotiations regarding the next site for nuclear energy development in Iran," Likhachev stated.
The timeline for the project, he noted, depends on Iran’s leadership. "As you understand, we can only proceed at the pace set by the client—the government," he said. While a general location for the future nuclear power plant has been identified, construction is still a long way off. Regarding Iran’s debt for the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Likhachev emphasized that it has significantly decreased.
Previously, Likhachev mentioned that Iran is interested in working with Rosatom not only on large-scale nuclear power plants but also on small nuclear generation projects.
Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Project
Construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, located near the southern Iranian city of Bushehr, began in 1975 under a contract with a West German company. However, the project was halted in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution. On August 25, 1992, Russia and Iran signed an agreement to resume construction. In September 2011, the first reactor was connected to the power grid, and its official handover to Iran took place in September 2013.
In November 2014, a contract was signed for the second phase of the Bushehr plant, which includes the construction of the second and third power units with VVER-1000 reactors. The project is valued at approximately $10 billion. The foundation stone for the expansion was laid in September 2016, and construction of the second unit began on November 10, 2019. The second and third units are expected to be commissioned in 2025 and 2027, respectively.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Hossein Ostovar/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS