Iran Plans to Build 360-Megawatt Nuclear Plant, Hints at 20 More

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--According to a televised interview with Energy Minister Harrid Chitchian, Iran plans to build a nuclear power plant with a generating capacity of 360 megawatts (MW).

The site for the new plant is reported to be in the southern Darkhoein region. Currently, the project is in the design stage, and all of the required equipment will be manufactured in Iran.

Chichian said that Iran's installed power base now stands at 70,000 MW, and that another 5,000 MW should be added by March 2016 to keep up with increasing consumption. Power generation capacity in Iran has grown at an annual rate of 7% over the past 10 years.

The energy minister also said that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is performing preliminary studies for the construction of 20 nuclear power plants, but did not give estimates of budgets or any indication of the build plan.

Iran's newly elected President Hassan Rouhani has indicated that he is open to talks with Western powers, Russia and China on the direction of Iran's nuclear program, particularly in regards to sanctions and the potential production of fuel elements that could be used to make bombs. However, the specifics of new projects and initiatives are shrouded in ambiguity and rumor.

The country's first nuclear power plant, built by Russians at Bushehr and recently handed over to Iranian control, has a capacity of about 1,000 MW. Construction at Bushehr began in the 1970s by Germany's Kraftwerk Union and was hit by many delays. The Germans withdrew from the project in 1980, and it wasn't until 1995 that the Russians signed a billion-dollar deal with Iran to complete Unit 1 at the power plant.

In February, the Iranian foreign minister announced that work on the second plant at Bushehr, with a capacity of up to 5,000 MW, was expected to begin, with cooperation from Russia.

Currently, Iran trades power with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

For related information, see May 1, 2013, article - Iran Keeps Foot Down on Nuclear Program, Promises Critical Uranium Enrichment within Year.

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