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Iran's nuclear reactor not ready until end 2008: contractor
Moscow (AFP) Dec 20, 2007 Russia dampened Thursday Iranian hopes of an imminent launch of the Bushehr nuclear power station Moscow is building in the Islamic republic, saying it would not be launched earlier than the end of 2008. A spokeswoman for the Russian contractor on the flagship project, Atomstroiexport, confirmed that it would take at least a year to start the power station. "We can predict that the Bushehr station will be launched no earlier than the end of 2008 due to the current situation," Irina Yesipova told AFP. On Tuesday the deputy head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Saeedi, said he hoped the 1,000 megawatt plant in the southern city of Bushehr could come on line within three months at up to 200 megawatts before being cranked up to full capacity nine months later. Bushehr lies at the centre of Iran's controversial ambitions to create its own nuclear power infrastructure. The United States and Israel have voiced fears that Iran's civilian nuclear power programme could be a cover for a programme to develop weapons. Yesipova said the Russian timeframe was not a question of delays, but of the amount of time needed to deliver fuel and carry out tests on the station. Russia began sensitive deliveries of nuclear fuel to Bushehr last Sunday after repeated hold-ups and an earlier call by the United States for the project to be suspended. Yesipova said it would take nearly two months to complete the delivery of nuclear fuel to Bushehr. Six months after that tests would start on launching the station itself, she said. "Six months after the end of deliveries of fuel we will start tests with the fuel. When the tests are successfully completed we can launch the station. I can't say how long the tests will last. "A deviation from the schedule risks having a negative effect on the security of the power station," she said. Referring to the Iranian side's expectations of a faster launch, she said "the official who made this statement was probably not appraised of the technical issues. There is a technical schedule of work and we cannot deviate from it." After Russia announced it had started fuel deliveries to Iran, US President George W. Bush said this meant Tehran had no need to carry out its own nuclear fuel enrichment. However on Monday the head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, insisted Tehran still wanted to enrich uranium on Iranian soil to produce nuclear fuel. Related Links Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
France backs India nuclear accord
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 20, 2007France's foreign minister said Thursday he was hoping to see India secure a nuclear safeguards agreement with the UN atomic watchdog that would pave the way for energy business in the country. |
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