Iran's 1st N. Power Plant to Kick off Work Late August

The reactor (of Bushehr nuclear power plant) will reach 40% of its power capacity in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan (midst August) and (the power plant) will join the national grid later in the month (late August)," Salehi said in an interview with Iran's state-run tv on Sunday night. 

According to Salehi, Iran plans to celebrate the official launch and start of power generation by the Bushehr nuclear plant in late August. 

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had said that the main reactor of the Bushehr power plant would be launched in weeks. 

"The final launch of Bushehr is a matter of the coming weeks," Ryabkov said late May. 

The second consignment of fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant was delivered from Russia in May. 

Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995, according to which the plant was originally scheduled for completion in 1999. However, the project was repeatedly delayed by the Russian side due to the intense pressure exerted on Moscow by the United States and its western allies. Russia finally completed construction of the plant last summer. 

On October 26, Iran started injecting fuel into the core of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the initial phase of launching the nuclear reactor. 

The facility operates under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).