Iran’s atomic chief announces that Russia will construct eight new nuclear power plants, with four slated for Bushehr. The move is part of Iran’s plan to triple its nuclear energy capacity.
Iran’s atomic energy chief, Mohammad Eslami, confirmed on Monday that Russia is slated to construct eight new nuclear power plants in the Islamic Republic, under the terms of a previously inked agreement between the two nations.
The announcement, reported by the official news agency IRNA, signals a significant expansion of Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program.
Eslami, who serves as the President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), made the remarks during a visit by members of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee to the AEOI headquarters in Tehran.
He stated that four of the eight anticipated nuclear reactors are designated for construction in the southern province of Bushehr, where Iran’s sole operational nuclear power facility is located.
The AEOI president also provided an update to lawmakers on the ongoing construction of units 2 and 3 at the existing Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. He emphasized that these units are being built by Iranian companies, highlighting domestic contributions to the nuclear program.
Iran’s nuclear power plant, at its southern port of Bushehr, went online in 2011 with help from Russia, but also several underground nuclear facilities.
In 2019, Iran and Russia inaugurated a new phase of construction for a second reactor at Bushehr.
In 2022, Iran began construction on a new nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest. At the time, it was reported that the 300-megawatt plant, known as Karoon, would take eight years to build and cost around $2 billion.
Last year, Iran began construction on four more nuclear power plants in the country’s south, with an expected total capacity of 5,000 megawatts.
