Bushehr plant to be in full swing in 2012

The Iranian deputy energy minister says the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran will become fully operational by in early February 2012.

Ali Zabihi said Tuesday that the plant is currently operating at 40-50 percent of its nominal capacity, but is expected to reach full capacity in early February concurrent with the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Energy Minister Majid Namjou has already announced that the power plant will contribute 500 MW of nuclear power to the national power grid in the current Iranian calendar year (ending March 20, 2012).

He added that the generation of 1,000 MW of nuclear electricity is pending final tests and the confirmation of Iran Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO).

On December 15, the officials of Ukraine’s Energoatom Company reported that Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant would become fully operational in 2012.

They added that the plant is currently operating at 50-percent of its capacity, but will reach 75 and then 100 percent of its capacity in the first half of February.

The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was officially launched on September 12 and started by generating electricity at 40 percent of its capacity.

The 1,000-megawatt plant, located southeast of the city of Bushehr along the Persian Gulf, had been already connected to the country’s national power grid with the power of 60 MW on September 3, 2011.

It reached the capacity of 190 MW on September 27, and a day later it improved its capacity to 300 MW. The plant gained 50 percent of its nominal power on October 7 as it reached the capacity of 420 MW.

Initial construction of the facility began in 1975 by German companies, but the work was stopped following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In 1995, Iran and Russia reached an agreement to complete the project. But power generation was delayed several times due to a number of technical and financial problems.