Arak reactor will be tested soon:Iranian official

TEHRAN,Nov.29(MNA) – The 40-megawatt nuclear reactor in Arak, in the central Iranian province of Markazi, will be tested in the near future, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Fereydoun Abbasi announced on Wednesday. “All equipment needed to prepare the Arak reactor has been obtained and the reactor will be tested in the near future using virtual fuel,” Abbasi said. The Persian service of the Mehr News Agency reported on April 8 that the production line of “virtual” (non-nuclear) fuel for the Arak reactor had been launched at a nuclear facility in Isfahan. “I firmly say that thanks to efforts made by all experts and with the grace of God, work on the Arak reactor is in progress and goes according to the plan,” Abbasi said. “We are moving ahead cautiously only due to security considerations because the enemy is seeking to damage the reactor,” he added. He also told reporters that the nuclear fuel produced with the purity of 20 percent is currently being converted into plate type nuclear fuel at the Isfahan nuclear facility in order to power the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment.