Russian nuclear construction giant Rosatom said Monday that the state-owned corporation’s engineering division Atomstroyexport Group has completed the earthworks phase associated with the reactor building for the Bushehr –2 nuclear reactor in Iran. The work was completed ahead of schedule, Rosatom said.
“At the same time, work is underway to merge the two foundation pits of the second and third power units, which will allow [the start of] preparation for the construction of the in-site roads,” said Suren Abartsumyan, head of the divisions Iranian operations.
The statement comes on the heels of remarks from Alexia Likhachev, Rosatom’s general director, who said in Vienna in mid-September that construction work had begun on Units 2 and 3 at the plant, Nuclear Engineering International reported.
The first concrete pouring for Bushehr 2 is scheduled to occur in the third quarter of 2019. Work on Bushehr 2 was kicked off with a ceremony in September 2016 in which the first stone was put into place symbolizing the construction start.
Phase II at Bushehr, a $10 billion project that includes the addition of two units at the plant, is to be completed in 2024 and 2026, respectively.
Bushehr units 2 and 3 will be VVER-1000 power units with a combined capacity of 2100MWE. Unit 1 is a VVER-1000 reactor with a 915Mwe capacity. It began commercial operations in September 2013.