Iran and Russia started on Saturday to load fuel rods to a reactor at the Bushehr power plant, the first nuclear power plant in Iran.

A general view shows the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, Aug. 20, 2010. Bushehr nuclear power plant, the first one in Iran, will begin fuel injection on Aug. 21, after which the power plant will be launched soon. Iran handed over the Bushehr project, started by German firms in the 1970s, to Russia in 1995. The launch of the project has been postponed repeatedly in recent years. [Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua]

 

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, and chief of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi attended a ceremony to initiate the transfer of fuel to the plant in southern Iran.

The fuel-loading operation by Iranian and Russian engineers was carried out under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

At a joint press conference after the start-up ceremony, the Russian atomic official said that Bushehr was a great and unique international project which was implemented by Russia.

Implicitly rejecting the claims that Russia was responsible for the constant postponements of the plant launch, Kiriyenko said that Russia has always been committed to its international contracts and his country has, also, fulfilled its commitments to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

He added that Bushehr power plant operates under IAEA supervision and any country which performs under the supervision of IAEA has the right to peaceful nuclear energy.

Asked about cooperations between Iran and Russia for constructing further nuclear power plants in Iran, Kiriyenko said that "At the moment no talks over constructing other power plants is underway. We are, now, focusing on the project (of Bushehr power plant) at hand."

"Transparent cooperations with IAEA are important and if this point is observed, we will cooperate with Iran and other countries, " he added.

Salehi said that despite the sanctions against Iran, "we are now seeing the startup of the nuclear power plant."

This is a "direct lesson" to those who wanted to hinder Iran's progress by imposing sanctions, he stressed.

The startup of Bushehr power plant is an embodiment of Iran's steady persistence to achieve its legitimate goals, said Salehi.

Also in the day, Iran and Russia signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) on nuclear cooperation in the presence of Sergei Kiriyenko and Ali-Akbar Salehi.

On the basis of the agreement, the two sides agreed to establish a joint company to observe the safe use of the facilities in Bushehr power plant.

They also agreed to recognize Bushehr establishments as unclear facilities from the load of fuel, starting from August 21, to the launch of the facility which will almost last for two months.

According to the agreement, both side will take necessary measures before the launch of the plant.

According to the earlier reports, 163 fuel rods will be transferred into the core of the reactor by September 5 after the required inspections.

Rosatom corporation announced earlier in August that Russia is set to activate the reactor at Bushehr nuclear power plant on Aug. 21.

The construction of the nuclear plant began in 1975 by German companies, but was halted after the United States imposed embargo on hi-tech supplies to Iran following Iran's 1979 revolution. Russia signed a contract with Tehran in 1995 to complete the construction.