Bushehr plant set to join national grid

Iranian and Russian experts have completed loading fuel into the reactor at Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, officially putting it into service.

After undergoing numerous tests, the nuclear power station has become operational, but will start generating electricity in two months’ time, reported Fars News Agency.

The facility, whose fueling process is now completed, is scheduled to continue running under its current state for two weeks before joining the national grid in two months.

In October 2010, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the reactor at Bushehr nuclear power plant in the initial phase of its launch. However, engineers began removing the fuel rods in late February for safety reasons.

The unloading of the fuel delayed the plant’s joining the national grid, initially scheduled for the beginning of 2011.

Bushehr, which is Iran’s first nuclear power plant, operates under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has already announced that the facility is quake-proof and will never experience a situation similar to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

According to the AEOI, the safety systems used at Bushehr meet the latest international standards, but the safety systems at the Fukushima plant belonged to the 1960s and 70s.