1st portion of budget to build two new reactors to be allocated in fortnight

Bushehr, Nov 19, IRNA – Vice President and Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said the first portion of the budget to build two new nuclear reactors in Bushehr will be allocated in two weeks. Talking in the opening ceremony of a number of health and hygiene projects in this Persian Gulf province on Saturday, he said a total of 300,000 billion rials will be spent on the construcion of two new nuclear reactors in Bushehr. The Iranian Central Bank is going to allocate the first portion of the budget to the project in two weeks, he added. According to the official, the building of the reactors will also include a sweet water project with a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters. Earlier in the day, Salehi told reporters that Iran is going to pace up construction operation of two new nuclear power plants. He said the project will take a decade to complete. He noted that the fist power plant in Bushehr has been operating by years now, adding that contracts have already been signed upon the government’s approval to build two new ones. The Vice President further said that his organization is building two other projects namely the nuclear emergency unit and a hospital for heart diseases. He explained the income of these two projects will go to the staff members of the Bushehr power plant once completed. Salehi said the prospect of life is bright for the country in years after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the public being able to feel the tangible results of the deal. Pointing out that Iran’s oil production level has reached the same level of the pre-sanctions years which stood at 2,500,000 barrels per day, the AEOI chief said this in itself indicated the new openings in the country. Construction operation for the second and third units of Bushehr nuclear power plant kicked off on September 10 in the presence of First Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri. Salehi said then that construction of the two new power plants would help save oil resources of the country equal to 22 million barrels of crude oil and prevention of 14 million tons pollution in the environment. In addition, he said that necessary planning for construction of water desalination installation with capacity of 200,000 cubic meters a day has been done in cooperation with Energy Ministry. 1378/IRNA