Iran will continue fuel plate production: AEOI head

Iran’s top nuclear official says the country has succeeded in delivering some four or five batches of fuel to the Tehran Research Reactor, stressing that the Islamic Republic will press on with fuel plate production.

“The production of fuel plates and their conversion into fuel complexes to be used in the Tehran [Research] Reactor currently continues in the Isfahan factory,” Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereydoun Abbasi told reporters on Tuesday.

He added that Iran currently has the capacity to produce some two nuclear fuel complexes per month but can increase it to three.

With some four or five batches of fuel produced and transferred to the Tehran Research Reactor, we have presently no problem in launching the reactor and producing radio-medicine, Abbasi said, adding that ‘we will gradually replace consumed fuel with new fuel.’

The AEOI head said all of Iran’s nuclear activities are carried out under the surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and their nuclear safety is ensured. No specific incident to hurt people has occurred so far.

On November 11, IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano acknowledged that Iran’s nuclear energy facilities are used for peaceful purposes.

Amano confirmed that a large number of nuclear energy facilities in Iran are under IAEA supervision and are used for civilian purposes.

On February 15, Iran placed the first indigenously fuel rods into the heart of the Tehran Research Reactor. The fuel rods were produced at the Isfahan nuclear facility and transferred to the reactor under the IAEA supervision.

By placing nuclear plates into the reactor, Iran took the final step in completing the nuclear fuel cycle.