20 Jun 2013 16:57

Kiriyenko: no defects at Iranian nuclear power plant

ST. PETERSBURG. June 20 (Interfax) - There are no defects at the recently completed Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, Rosatom head Sergei Kiriyenko said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Iran's Ambassador to Russia Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi had previously spoken of defects at the plant.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi had also denied there were any defects in a statement at the beginning of last week. "There have been no problems at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The Russian contractors are monitoring normal operations," he said.

"Before bringing the nuclear plant up to maximum capacity, we must conduct meeting all standards, and that will demand turning [the generator] on and off to ensure the safe operation of all equipment," Araghchi said.

Construction of the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr nuclear power plant, located on the Persian Gulf coast, began in the 1970s, led by German companies. Work was suspended until Russian Atomstroyexport restarted the project in the 1990s.