BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Despite all the pressure on Iran, activities in the Iranian nuclear industry have not ceased, and the country’s nuclear industry undoubtedly has a bright future.
According to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, this was stated by Behrouz Kamalvandi, deputy chairman and spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
“Unfortunately, certain pressures have prevented Iran’s plans and projects from being completed on schedule. Despite this, nuclear activities in Iran have not ceased, and the development process continues,” he said.
Kamalvandi added that during the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, an attack was carried out on the Darhovin Nuclear Power Plant, which was under construction in the city of Ahvaz in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. This move was intended to set Iran’s program back by several years. The Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant was attacked during the initial stage of construction.
A spokesperson for the organization noted that Iran is in the process of signing a protocol with Russia regarding small and modular reactors (SMRs). This will accelerate the joint production of reactors of this type.
Kamalvandi stated that small modular reactors can be used to meet energy needs. This technology is considered one of the emerging technologies attracting attention worldwide.
“The Sixth International Conference on Nuclear Energy is being held in South Korea. At this conference, Iran emphasized the importance of states party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) fulfilling their obligations, as well as maintaining a legal balance. After all, for a country like Iran, it is important that the obligations set forth in this treaty be taken into account and that its rights not be ignored,” he said.
The organization’s representative added that the development of environmentally friendly energy is of great importance worldwide. This issue is not limited exclusively to Iran. Electricity must be generated in a way that minimizes environmental pollution. For example, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has, to date, prevented the release of approximately 86 million metric tons of pollutants into the environment and saved 132 million barrels of crude oil.
The first power unit at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran began operations in 2011. In 2013, operation of the power unit was transferred from the Russian nuclear company to an Iranian company. Since 2013, the maximum electricity generation capacity of this power unit has been 1,000 megawatts. In total, this plant has generated more than 80 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Construction of Power Units 2 and 3 at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant began in 2017 on a 50-hectare site. Once commissioned, each of these power units will be capable of generating 1,057 megawatts of electricity. The commissioning of these two power units will save 10 million barrels of crude oil or 1.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year and prevent the release of 7 million metric tons of polluting gases into the environment.
