Majlis to Investigate Delay at Bushehr

Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) has launched an investigation into the delay in the launch of the country’s first nuclear power plant built by the Russians in Bushehr. Mohammad Hassan Ghafourifard, a nuclear expert, will head the investigation committee.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said in January that the Bushehr nuclear power plant was to join the national power grid in mid-February, but it later announced a postponement to the first week of April. There are no announcements by AEOI on the current state of the reactor.

In February, the fuel placed inside the core of reactor was removed after the inspectors found metal shards in the plant’s fuel assembly. The builder, Russia’s Rosatom, had to remove the fuel core for a thorough inspection of the reactor. It was also suspected that the plan’s computer system was infected by Stuxnet virus.

The Bushehr project was started in 1970’s by the former regime. The work was halted after the 1979 revolution, and resumed in 1955 after Russia agreed to take over the project at a cost of $1 billion, with a completion date of 1999. Twelve years later, the reactor has not come online.