AEOI Chief: Interruption In Operation Of Bushehr Power Plant Normal

Tehran, March 13, IRNA – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi Davani said Wednesday that interruption in activities of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran is ˈnormalˈ as the facility is currently in a pilot phase. A report by the AEOIˈs official website said that Abbasi davani made the remarks commenting on certain reports about a halt in operation of the 1,000-MW power plant in the Persian Gulf province of Bushehr. ˈAs it was mentioned before, the power plant is in its pilot phase and occurrence of any technical interruption in its activities is fully normal.ˈ As for the latest halt in the power plantˈs operation, Abbasi Davani said it had occurred because of some technical problems in its generator and that ˈthe plant will be operational again within the coming days.ˈ Bushehr power plant should undergo some tests, including those to confirm the safety of the facility, before it is handed over to Iran by Russia for permanent operation, said the official. The Bushehr Nuclear Power plant locates some 17 km southeast of the provincial capital city of Bushehr, between the fishing villages of Halileh and Bandargeh along the Persian Gulf. Construction of the plant was started in 1975 by German companies, but the work was stopped in 1979 after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. A contract for finishing the plant was signed between Iran and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy in 1995, with Russiaˈs Atomstroyexport named as the main contractor. The work was delayed several years by technical and financial challenges as well as by the Westˈs political pressures./end