Official: Iran building 'completely indigenous' research reactor

Iran is building a "completely indigenous" nuclear research reactor in Isfahan, head of the country's atomic energy organization says. 

The research reactor to test fuel for other reactors will be built at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, Mohammad Eslami said during a visit to the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) in the city.

"We have planned that based on the studies carried out, we will officially start the construction of the research reactor at the Isfahan site in the coming weeks," the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said.

"It must be said that this project is completely indigenous and Iranian, which will complete the chain of research, evaluation, testing and assurance of our nuclear power production."

Eslami said the nuclear fuel cycle is the most important part of the nuclear industry. 

"It should be noted that until now, all the commotion raised has been for enrichment, and the next station is the fuel cycle industry, which we have already been utilizing at the research semi-industrial stage," he said in reference to the West's accusations against Iran's nuclear program. 

Eslami said foreign countries did not cooperate with Iran on completing the nuclear fuel cycle, adding even some countries came to do the project, but they abandoned the work halfway and left it.

Currently, the domestic industrial capacity and engineering change order at the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran and knowledge-based companies enables the country to move toward industrialization in order to produce fuel for reactors, including at the UCF in Isfahan. 

"It should be known that nuclear power is designed and built in an integrated manner only in a few countries of the world and because they do not cooperate with us in this field, we must fully develop capacity and localize it … so that the people of Iran can benefit from it and receive clean electricity without any fluctuations" from nuclear facilities, the official said. 

Eslami stressed that the main issue regarding the advancement of Iran's nuclear program is to increase the capacity of domestic power plants. 

So far, Iran has built 1,000 megawatts of sustainable nuclear power capacity and is building another 2,000 megawatts of nuclear power plants, he said. 

"We have also planned to produce 10,000 megawatts of new nuclear power, with the scheme included in the current budget law," Eslami added.

He explained that his agency is locating sites, especially in Iran's south to find suitable places compatible with the requirements of nuclear power plants before launching study and design operations.

"All the same, we will use international partnerships, but we will not wait for anyone, because Iran has sufficient scientific, industrial and technological capacities," he said. 

"Fortunately, there are large companies in the country that can support the 10,000 megawatt nuclear power production program, but we also welcome any company and institution that participates in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran's projects."

Eslami said the clean and sustainable electricity produced at Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr is equal to about 85 million barrels of oil, which has a great impact on the reduction of pollutants and the health of society.

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