Iran's first nuclear power plant goes online

Bushehr power plant fully operational, meant to infuse Islamic Republic's power grid with additional 60 megawatts of electricity

News agencies |Published: 09.04.11 , 13:12

Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant is officially connected to the Islamic Republic's power grid, the ISNA news agency reported on Sunday

The gulf city-based facility has reportedly started adding around 60 megawatts of power to the national grid over the weekend.

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"The Bushehr nuclear power plant joined the national power grid at 23:29 local time on Saturday September 3, with the capacity of generating 60mw electricity," a statement by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said.

According to the state-run news agency Fars, the Iranian authorities "will continue their tests to ensure that the power plant is in full harmony with the national power grid."

Bushehr's official induction has been scheduled for September 12.

The Bushehr power plant was originally scheduled for completion in 1999. However, the project was repeatedly delayed by the Russia, who served as a main partner in its construction. Russia completed construction of the plant last summer, and Iran began injecting fuel to the facility's core in October 2010.

Iran maintains that the Bushehr power plant operates under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Reuters contributed to this report