2017-11-01 08:50:00
RUSSIA - IRAN NUCLEAR ENERGY
ROSATOM - On the 31st of October 2017, in the Bushehr Province (Iran) the work commissioning ceremony at the main building of power unit No. 2 of Bushehr NPP (Bushehr-2 project) was held.
The ceremony was opened by Director General of ROSATOM Alexei Likhachev and Vice President of Iran and President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi. The meeting was attended by heads of sectoral companies of the two countries, Russian and Iranian nuclear specialists, local authorities and residents of the city of Bushehr.
Two power units of 2,100 MW will be constructed to the Russian design as Phase 2 under the contract signed in November 2014. They will be constructed near Bushehr-1 which is in operation.
The Russian power units VVER-1000 are the reference project of Generation III+ which meets the most stringent post-Fukushima safety requirements. In September 2016, the first stone was laid in the construction; after that the pre-construction work has been carried out at the construction site. Bushehr-2 starts with the foundation pit.
Before the ceremony, Likhachev and Salehi visited the operating power unit Bushehr-1 which has become the symbol of the peaceful nuclear cooperation between Russia and Iran. In fact, Russian nuclear workers completed construction for the former builder using unique engineering know-how for the Russian VVER-1000 reactor and training Iranian operators. It has become the first in the Middle East and unique for the world nuclear power. Since its start in 2011, Bushehr-1 has confirmed is operational reliability.
Greeting the ceremony participants, the head of ROSATOM noted that the cooperation experience accumulated so far would help specialists of the two countries to solve effectively any tasks of Bushehr-2 project. "I am sure that this largest Russian-Iranian project is the symbol of our cooperation for our generation and the generation of our children. By date Bushehr-1 has already generated 25 billion kWh of electricity and this is a serious contribution to the economy of Iran which gives an opportunity to channel additional funds to development of both the social sphere and industry of the country," Likhachev said.
In his reply, Head of Atomic Energy Commission of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said: "Today, we are witness of the ground breaking for the second power unit of Bushehr NPP. We are on schedule, even somewhat ahead of the date due. I hope that during 7 years we will witness the putting on line this unit and in 2.5 years we will see commissioning of Unit 3 of this NPP within Phase 2 of the plant."
