TEHRAN: The head of Iran’s atomic energy agency will travel to Russia tomorrow to sign a construction deal for two nuclear power plants on Iran’s southern Gulf shores, media reported.
Ali Akbar Salehi’s visit will cap months of negotiations between Iran and Russia. “I am going to Moscow to sign an agreement for the construction of new nuclear power plants,” Salehi was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency.
It quoted Tehran’s ambassador to Moscow, Mehdi Sanaei, as saying on Facebook that the visit would take place tomorrow.
Under a provisional agreement, Russia will build two 1,000-megawatt plants next to Iran’s sole existing plant in the southern Gulf port city of Bushehr. The Bushehr plant, which also produces 1,000 megawatts, was built by Russia after being delayed for years and officially handed over in September 2013.
Iran plans to build 20 more plants in the future, including four in Bushehr alone, to decrease its dependency on oil and gas. Russia would also build 10 new conventional electrical power plants in Iran. Iran is rich in oil and gas, but has long sought to diversify its energy sources, and its drive for nuclear power has complicated relations with the West. AFP
