Iran Capable Of Building New Nuclear Power Plants

Tehran, April 9, IRNA – Former manager of Iranˈs Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran said the country is now capable of building nuclear power plants relying on the knowledge and skills of its local experts. Speaking to IRNA, Naser Shariflou said that the Iranian experts are currently working to build a 360-MW nuclear power plant in the Darkhoein region in southern Iran. ˈThe project is at the designing phase,ˈ Shariflou said, adding that the equipment needed to build the power plant would be mostly manufactured by Iranian experts. He referred to the ability of building new nuclear power plants as a distinctive feature of nuclear technology of any country indicating its nuclear strength. Most of the 30 members of the worldˈs nuclear states club lack the ability of building nuclear power plants, Shariflou said referring to China as an example. He said only the US, Canada, France, Germany, Britain, Japan and South Korea have the technology to build nuclear power plants. Iran is celebrating its National Nuclear Technology Day on Tuesday. On April 8th 2006, Iran officially declared success in producing the first batch of low enriched uranium required for the production of fuel for nuclear reactors at the Natanz nuclear facility. By this historic breakthrough Iran joined the countries with domestic nuclear technology./end