Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant On Schedule: Source

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that Tehran-Moscow negotiations are currently continuing to determine the schedule of the first phase of the power plant, Mehr News Agency reported.

The source pointed out the seventh ship carrying 1700 tons of equipment from Russia needed for the power plant was unloaded at the Bushehr port last week. The last consignments of equipment will be received in Bushehr over the next six months in two or three cargo shipments.

The source denied rumors about any delay in power plant operations, noting that the current Iran-Russia negotiations are focused on technical and technological issues, other news about the nature of the consultations to the contrary is politically motivated.

“Iran has reached an agreement with Russia to implement comprehensive economic studies regarding the second phase of the power plant and these studies were carried out a while ago”, he said, adding that the final report about these studies will be reviewed during a future trip to Iran by Alexander Rumyantsev, the Russian Atomic Energy Minister.

The source went on to say that Igor Ivanov, Russia’s Security Council Secretary who is visiting Tehran on the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Hasan Rowhani, the secretary of Supreme National Security Council has said that the construction of the Bushehr power plant will be completed in 2005 and it will be operational in 2006.

The source added that Russian officials had previously declared that the power plant would be operational in 2005.

FK/DWN/IS
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MNA