MOSCOW Ñ Russia is sending additional technicians and engineers for what officials termed a critical
phase in completing a nuclear reactor for Iran.
Officials said Russia has delivered heavy equipment for the shell of the
1,000 megawatt reactor and the turbine at the Persian Gulf port city of
Bushehr. They said the equipment began undergoing assembly on Sunday and
that Moscow plans to significantly increase the number of Russian engineers and
technicians connected to the Bushehr project, valued at $800 million.
"All equipment, provided for by a contract with the Iranian side, was
manufactured by Russian factories and successfully brought by sea from St.
Petersburg to Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf," Viktor Kozlov, managing
director of Atomstroiexport, said. "We have reached the stage of assembling
our reactor and the turbine," Middle East Newsline reported.
Kozlov told Russia' Itar-Tass news agency that the current effort seeks
to integrate the Russian VVER-1000 light-water reactor as well as a Russian
turbine with equipment built and designed by Germany. Germany suspended the
Bushehr project in 1982 during Iran's war with Iraq.
Germany had brought a range of equipment to Iran before the Bushehr
project was suspended. They included the foundation for a steam turbine
along with pumps and ducts, altogether 80,000 pieces of equipment.
Russia plans to complete the assembly of the reactor by the end of 2003,
industry sources said. Bushehr is expected to begin operations in early
2005.
Officials said Russia also plans to increase its presence at Bushehr.
They said about 600 technicians are already at the nuclear reactor site.
Kozov said the number of Russian engineers and technicians at Bushehr
will increase
to 2,000 by the end of this year. He said housing for the additional
personnel has already been built near Bushehr and a direct air link has been
completed between the Iranian city and several points in Russia.
