"There remains just one test named 'Warm Water Test' before we can launch the power plant …. We will inject fuel to the heart of the reactor after that (final test)", Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi told the state-run Fars News agency.
Salehi emphasised the fact that the plant is close to completion, stating that the plant has been through extensive tests, the most recent of which was the Metal Core Test.
In January Russian nuclear reactor builder Atomstroyexport announced that it had been successful in testing the second circuit equipment of the Bushehr plant. The successful completion of the hydraulic testing of the second circuit equipment of the plant with pressure build-up to 110 kg/cm2 is seen as a significant step in completing the plant.
Salehi’s announcement follows an announcement by Iran’s hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday ordering the production of higher-enriched uranium, significantly beyond the level of its regular nuclear fuel.
Western countries are increasingly calling for targeted sanctions on Iran to stop its nuclear defiance.
