Iran claims nuclear plant will be operational by February 1st

Iran claims nuclear plant will be operational by February 1st

2012-01-09 05:42:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- An underground uranium site in southern Iran will be fully operational by the end of the month, Tehran's top nuclear official told state-run media on Sunday.

Fereydoun Abbasi, who heads Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, said the nuclear plant in the port city of Bushehr is expected to reach full capacity by the end of the month. The plant was connected to Iran's electricity grid in September with a capacity of 60 megawatts.

But Iranian officials expect the plant will be able to reach 1,000 megawatts and provide approximately 2.5 percent of the country's current electricity consumption. "The Bushehr plant, located along the Persian Gulf coast, will reach its full capacity of 1,000 megawatts by February 1," Abbasi said, as quoted by the Fars news agency.

International concerns regarding Iran's nuclear activities have been increasing for decades. While Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear program is for the peaceful purpose of providing energy, many countries contend it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Abbasi, while speaking during a conference in Bandar Abbas, said Tehran had shown the new generation of its homemade centrifuge machines to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a bid to demonstrate the ability of Iranian scientists.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast reiterated that the country will never give up its right of uranium enrichment. "The nuclear program of our country is totally peaceful and is a basic right of our nation," he said.

However, the spokesman said Iran is ready to continue nuclear talks with the international community. "We are ready for the talks. We have always said that we are ready for the talks and have always pointed out that the talks should aim at cooperation between the two sides, that is, to decide to talk for cooperation instead of confrontation," he said.

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