Rouhani: Iran symbol of civilian use of nuclear energy

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani underlined that Iran, as always, is resolved to continue using nuclear energy for civilian purposes within the framework of the international rules. In a message on the occasion of temporary handover of the first unit of the Bushehr nuclear power plant by Russia to Iranian technicians on Monday, Rouhani expressed hope that all countries would make efforts to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, saying, “Like the past, the Islamic Republic of Iran will be a pioneer of achieving this magnificent goal.” He added that Iran is one of the first to have a nuclear power plant in the Muslim world thanks to the efforts of Iranian youth and the country’s strategic policy to develop new sciences. Iran on Monday received the temporary control of all operations at Bushehr nuclear power plant from the Russian contractor after signing a relevant protocol. The ceremony to endorse a protocol for the temporary delivery of the control of the Bushehr nuclear power plant to Iran was held in the presence of Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian, and the Head of the Russian contractor company. Before signing the protocol, Salehi said that Iranian experts will receive the temporary (but full) control of the Bushehr power plant this afternoon, adding that the full (everlasting) operational control of the plant will be delivered to Iran after a two-year-warranty or 7,000 hours of operation. Late in August, Head of the Bushehr nuclear power plant Hossein Derakhshandeh announced that "the Bushehr power plant is now in the operational phase to produce safe and secure electricity". "Once the control of the Bushehr nuclear power plant is delivered to the Iranian experts in the next two months, the plant will start industrial operation phase (meaning a full capacity operation)," he added. In relevant remarks in August, Head of the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko said that his company is ready to transfer the full operational control of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO). “The state company (Rosatom) will soon sign the documents to transfer the full operational control of the Bushehr nuclear power plant to Iran,” Kiriyenko said. The Russian official underlined that Bushehr nuclear power plant is currently operating at 100-percent capacity and the process of preparing it for transfer to the project originator (Iran) is concluding. Rosatom's construction arm, Atomstroyeksport, took over construction of Bushehr nuclear power plant after a German company pulled out of the project after the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. The Islamic Republic signed the Bushehr contract with Russia in 1995 and the nuclear power plant reached its full capacity by August 2012. The Bushehr nuclear power plant is located about 18 kilometers South of the provincial capital.