Washington, 20 January (WashingtonTV)—The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Wednesday that he believed the country’s first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr will come online by next autumn.
In an interview with the Fars news agency, Ali Akbar Salehi said that experts were conducting or preparing to carry out final tests at the power plant, which is being built with Russian assistance.
“God willing, we will launch the Bushehr power plant in the first half of the next [Iranian] year [beginning on 21 March],” Salehi said.
Russia has frequently delayed the launch of the 1,000 megawatt plant, citing financial or technical problems.
Salehi rejected any Russian neglect on launching the project, saying that the Russian team was working “seriously” to ensure that Bushehr becomes operational as soon as possible.
Western powers suspect Iran is using the guise of a civilian nuclear program to secretly develop a nuclear weapons capability .Tehran denies the charge, saying that its nuclear program is designed to meet the country’s growing energy needs.
