Report: Russia to start Iran nuclear plant by year end
Head of Russia's state nuclear corporation says launch of nuclear reactor at Iran's Bushehr plant 'scheduled for this year'
Russia plans to start up a nuclear reactor at Iran's Bushehr plant by the end of the year, Interfax news agency quoted the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation as saying on Thursday.
"If there are no unforeseen events ... then the launch will go according to the timetable," Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko was quoted as saying. "The launch is scheduled for this year."
A spokesman for Rosatom said Kiriyenko was talking about the so called "technical" start-up, which will be the first time the reactor is fully switched on and aims to test its systems before electricity is supplied to the grid.
The launch of the Bushehr plant's nuclear reactor has been delayed numerous times. Russian and Iranian officials have given different dates for the start-up.
Russia has already delivered nuclear fuel under a $1 billion contract to build the Bushehr plant on the Gulf coast in southwest Iran. Russia has blamed previous delays on problems with receiving payment from Iran.
