Iran Opens Its First Nuclear Power Plant

pickens writes "VOA reports that Russian and Iranian engineers have begun loading fuel into Iran's first nuclear power plant located in the southern city of Bushehr amid international fears that Iran will use the facility to make nuclear weapons, a charge both Tehran and the Kremlin vehemently deny. Officials say it will take about two to three months for the plant to start producing electricity once all of the fuel rods have been moved into the reactor. The production capacity of the plant will initially be 500 megawatts, but will eventually increase to 1,000 megawatts. Earlier this year, Washington criticized Russia for going ahead with the planned opening of the plant amid global disagreement and concern over Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program. Moscow did, however, back a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran, which called for Iran to stop uranium enrichment."

Comments

Nope

[TheRaven64]

There are not international concerns over this plant. It requires uranium enriched by 3% (well below the 90% required for weapons grade material) and is operated by the Russians, who are both providing and disposing of the fuel. There are no proliferation concerns over this.

The concerns are over the other reactor, officially designated for medical research, which requires uranium enriched to 20%, which some see as the first step towards a breeder reactor for providing fuel for nuclear weapons.

Re:Nope

[tokul]

Plus isn't this "state of the art" plant something the Russians started building for them almost 40 years ago?
So its a big ass junk heap, hopefully its not the same design as Chernobyl.

Germans started it. Some country a little bit closer to US than Russia.

Bushehr should have three VVER-1000/446 type reactors. Pressurized water reactor. Negative void coefficient
Chernobyl had four RBMK-1000. Same power, but graphite-moderated reactor. Positive void coefficient

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Void_coefficient

Although considering that reactor was built by three different contractors for over 45 years, it is still German/Iranian/Russian junk heap.

Re:Nope

[Cyberax]

Not likely.

To siphon off some uranium you'll need to disassemble 'hot' fuel rods, chemically separate uranium, and then reassemble rods again. It's unlikely Russians won't notice that a lot of their rods are missing. It's far easier for Iran to use existing uranium enrichment facilities.

Besides, this reactor is a light-water type. It can never be used to breed plutonium.

Re:Let's see

[Dunbal]

he mentions wiping a nearby country off the map.

      I see you're going for the exaggerated sensationalist translation, rather than the factually correct one "this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e eshghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad)."

      This is what happens when you let other people think for you. Iran's foreign policy is by no means sweet and innocent. But then again neither is US foreign policy. Remember the US doesn't just talk about removing regimes, it actually does it (or tries to). Grenada, Liberia, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq... and these are the obvious ones - the ones we actually know about.

Re:Iran Opens Its First Nuclear Power Plant

[BradMajors]

Iran has never threatened to wipe any country off the map. This accusation has already been proven false multiple times.