Russian nuclear power conglomerate Rosatom said its TVEL Fuel Company was ready to deliver fresh nuclear fuel to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran.
The fuel, prepared at Russia's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, is expected to be ready for a maintenance and refueling outage at the power plant that is scheduled to begin on the first of September. The Russian-designed 915MWe Bushehr 1 plant is relatively young. It began commercial operation in September 2013.
The so-called Group of Six, which included members of the United Nations Security Council plus the addition of Germany, reached an international accord with Iran in July that allows for renewed efforts by Iran to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions designed to pressure Iran to drop a pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Directly after the agreement was reached, Rosatom's TVEL Fuel Company opened bank accounts in Iran. The bank chosen by the Russian company has branch offices in Russia, the company said. It was opened to expedite payment for power plant fuel.
“In July 2015, the basic documents on Iran's nuclear program were signed by the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (International Group of "six") and Iran, which define the joint actions aimed at removing restrictive measures from the country. Right after these decisions the Russian nuclear fuel manufacturer – TVEL Fuel Company – opened bank accounts at one of the Iranian banks with a branch in Russia, in order to ensure timely delivery of fuel assemblies and payment for the supply. Loading of fresh fuel with the presence of international experts during a planned maintenance of the Bushehr NPP is scheduled on September,” Rosatom said.
“TVEL Fuel Company has been flawlessly operating for the past twenty years at the global market of nuclear fuel, providing supplies to 78 reactors in 15 countries, therefore, ensuring reliable operation of nuclear power plants, nuclear and radiation safety remain major priorities for the company’s operations,” the company added.