"The main units, especially the primary circuit, back-up systems and
sub-units are tested to remove any failure that could happen in the
commissioning stage," Saeedi said.
Saeedi said the virtual fuel was comprised of lead rods. He said at a
later stage nuclear fuel rods would be inserted into the reactor.
"After these tests we can enter the launching process," Saeedi said.
Russia has declared the completion of construction of Bushehr, a $1
billion project. Russian Rosatom director Sergei Kiriyenko said the new
stage was meant to test and modify subsystems.
"The construction stage of the nuclear power plant is over, we are now
in the pre-comissioning stage, which is a combination of complex
procedures," Kiriyenko, on a visit to Bushehr, said. "This is virtual fuel
injection to test how the reactor works."
IAEO director Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who is also Iran's vice president,
said Teheran was operating 6,000 gas centrifuges at its uranium enrichment
facility at Natanz. Aghazadeh, who pledged to deliver what he termed "good
news" on Iran's nuclear program on April 9, said Teheran would install
50,000 centrifuges by 2014.
"We have 6,000 working centrifuges at present and we are planning to
increase their number next year," Aghazadeh said. "We have a plan for the
next five years. It envisions the installation of 50,000 centrifuges over
this period."
