Russia, Iran Nuclear Power Deal has been signed as Russia and Iran have inked a memorandum of understanding on the construction of small nuclear power plants in Iran. This was revealed by the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Additionally, Tehran has been engaging in a diplomatic push to avert new sanctions over its nuclear programme.
The agreement was signed by Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev and Iran’s top nuclear official, Mohammad Eslami, on Wednesday. The signing took place at a meeting in Moscow. Rosatom described the upcoming nuclear project in Iran as a “strategic project”.
Iran Plans Construction of Eight Nuclear Power Plants
Eslami, who is also Iran’s vice president, revealed to Iranian state media earlier this week that the plan was to construct eight nuclear power plants. This nuclear projects come as Tehran seeks to reach 20GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2040.
Current State of Power Supply in Iran
Iran currently suffers from electricity shortages during high-demand months. Furthermore, the country has only one operating nuclear power plant that is located in the southern city of Bushehr. Also, this nuclear power plant was constructed by Russia and possesses a capacity of approximately 1GW.
The development of the nuclear project comes amid looming sanctions on Iran after the United Nations Security Council voted on Friday not to permanently lift economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. Therefore, this implies that sanctions will return by September 28 if no significant deal is reached beforehand.
Russia was among four nations that voted to stop the sanctions from being reintroduced.
Rosatom’s Nuclear Portfolio, an Indication of Nuclear Development Prowess
With Iran now joining the list of nations that Rosatom seeks to help build nuclear power plants, the Russia-based company is extending its nuclear development portfolio and cementing its position as a leading global nuclear projects developer. Rosatom has also helped African countries such as Egypt to develop a nuclear power plant. Also, Kenya could be joining the list of African countries that will be aided by Rosatom in developing a nuclear project.
Factsheet
Focus: Construction and operation of civilian nuclear power plants. Additionally, Russia is the main foreign partner in developing Iran’s nuclear energy sector.
Ongoing projects: Bushehr-2 and Bushehr-3: Russia is currently involved in the construction of two additional VVER-1000 reactor units at the Bushehr site.
Iran’s nuclear goal: Iran aims to generate 20,000 megawatts (20 GW) of electricity through nuclear power by 2040. Russia has been assigned a key role in developing new plants toward this goal.
Broader context:
- Strategic partnership: The nuclear cooperation is part of a deepening strategic partnership between the two countries, which also covers trade, military cooperation, science, and education.
