UPI: Russian nuclear experts are in Iran monitoring construction of the Middle East nation's first nuclear power plant.
United Press International
BUSHEHR, Iran, Sept. 3 (UPI) — Russian nuclear experts are in Iran monitoring construction of the Middle East nation's first nuclear power plant.
Leonid Reznikov, director of Atomstroiexport, the Russian company building the power plant in Bushehr, is accompanied by his deputy and a delegation of experts for the three-day visit that winds up Wednesday, the Fars News Agency reported.
The Russian delegation is meeting with a team of Iranian experts headed by Ahmad Fayaz Bakhsh, deputy director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.
Konstantin Beschetnov, a member of Russia's Parliament, said while he is certain the Bushehr facility will be completed successfully it is too early to say when that will be.
"This project is so unique that it is too early to announce a completion date. As with any business project it has experienced a number of complications," RIA Novosti quoted Beschetnov as saying.
However, the heads of the nuclear energy agencies for both nations have said it will be operational by the end of the year. Iran is under international sanctions for pursuing its nuclear ambitions.
The Iran-Russia joint project has been delayed at least five times for various reasons, the Fars News Agency noted.
