Iran, Russia prepare to launch first unit of Bushehr NPP

A ceremony to officially launch the first unit of Iran's first nuclear power plant, Bushehr, will be held on Monday. The ceremony to launch Unit One of the Russian-build nuclear power plant will be attended by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and the head of Russia's Federal Agency for Atomic Energy, Sergei Kiriyenko. Bushehr was connected into the national grid early on Sunday. The first unit's capacity is estimated at 1,000 megawatt. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already included Bushehr's first unit into its list of operating nuclear power plants. The IAEA record says the plant was first connected to the grid on September 3. The fuel for Bushehr was provided by Russia, which completed the long-delayed construction of the plant last summer. The plant was expected to start operating in February. Under a bilateral agreement approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia will operate the plant, supply its fuel and take away all the spent fuel for the next two or three years, but will eventually hand over full control to Iran.