Iran has finished loading fuel into the core of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Russia's contractor Atomstroiexport said on Thursday. Ali Akbar Salehi, the chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AOEI), said earlier on Thursday the fueling process had been completed and the reactor had been capped, according to Iran's Press TV.
The reactor will be able to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity within the next six to nine months, Salehi said.
Russia helped Iran launch Bushehr on August 21 after decades of construction delays.
Under a bilateral agreement, which has received approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia will initially operate the plant, supplying its fuel and taking away all the spent fuel for the next two or three years, but will eventually hand over full control to Iran.
MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti)
