The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, Chief Executive Officer of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev, nuclear officials from Russia, and a number of Iranian lawmakers have participated in the formal ceremony of work start in the foundation pit of main buildings of the power unit No. 2 of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Iran, according to ISNA.
At a joint press conference with Likhachev, Salehi said, “We hope that in the next seven years we will witness the setting up of the power unit No. 2 of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant”.
Salehi pointed out that he discussed with the Russian side the financing of the construction of the two reactors.
He emphasized that cooperation between Iran and Russia in the nuclear field was positive.
The commencement of construction took place a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran.
Likhachev, for his part, said, "The construction cornerstone was laid in September 2016, followed by site preparatory work. The Bushehr-2 project enters the practical implementation phase from the foundation pit construction start”.
The company keeps plans to start building the power unit No. 2 (so-called ‘first concreting’) in 2019.
Iran and Russia signed in November 2014 agreements to expand nuclear energy cooperation, including the construction of the two reactors. Operations are due in 2026.