However, he said Russian cooperation is very important for the prompt start-up of the plant since Iran plans to build more nuclear power plants.
The construction of new nuclear plants will be discussed with the Russian nuclear energy chief, who is currently in Iran, he explained.
“Of course, Russia’s behavior in bringing the Bushehr plant on stream will be an important test in this regard,” he added.
The Bushehr nuclear plant is designed to produce 1000 megawatts of electricity, but building enough nuclear plants to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity is Iran’s long-term goal, he pointed out.
However, connecting a nuclear power plant to the electricity grid of a country that has never used nuclear power before is a very difficult task, he noted.
On the repeated delays in the construction of the plant, he said the German withdrawal from the project coupled with the serious damage inflicted upon the plant during the Iran-Iraq war and the upgrade of nuclear safety standards following the Chernobyl accident were all serious problems that Iran encountered.
RS/MS/HL
End
MNA