Iran proposes joint nuclear fuel production with Russia

Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s atomic agency announced that Iran has asked Russia to transform the production of fuel for Iran’s newly-launched Bushehr Nuclear Plant into a joint project that could also supply similar facilities with fuel in the future.

IRNA news agency reports that in a television interview, Salehi said: “We have offered to set up a consortium licensed by Russia, so that part of the work is led in Russia and part in Iran.” He added that Russia is currently in the process of reviewing this offer.

The 1,000 megawatt power reactor near southern Iranian city of Bushehr was launched on August 21. Russian state-owned company, Rosatom Corp. will supply uranium for the plant and remove the spent fuel.

Iran says it plans to build more nuclear plants in the next 20 years to reach a 20,000-megawatt power production.

While Iran says it does not insist on producing fuel for all its reactors domestically, Salehi proposed that Iran “needs to show the international community that it is capable of transforming uranium into nuclear fuel. Then, in the international trade debate, the issue of nuclear fuel supply will become less complicated.”

The Iranian vice-president maintained that they have already 25 kilograms of reactor-grade uranium and have plans to transform it into the usable form in power stations by next year.

The United Nations passed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran in concern over its nuclear activities. While the West insists that Iran's nuclear activities may be aimed at production of nuclear arms, Iran insists that all its nuclear efforts are peaceful.