Mikhail Grishankov, first vice chairman of State Duma Committee on Safety

– Construction of Bushehr NPP is fully controlled by IAEA

The supply of fuel is one of the stages of the construction of Bushehr NPP. The fuelling of a reactor is an essential and natural part of any such project. There is one common standard for all nuclear power plants: fuel should be delivered to a reactor six month before its launch. The Bushehr project is exactly at such a point now. The construction is being carried out in line with international agreements under full control of IAEA.

Russia closely observes the terms of the contract. So, it will supply the fuel for two months under the supervision of IAEA experts.

This process poses no threat to the nonproliferation regime. Only ignorant people can say that the Iranians can use our low-enriched uranium for military purposes – especially as the latter already can enrich uranium to 3.7%. So, all such concerns are groundless.

The whole talk about the Iranian nuclear program was just politics dictated by the United States. The last revelations of the US special services have totally disproved the theories of Western experts about nuclear bomb in Iran.

Now that the Iranians have started to cooperate with other countries, and, first of all, with Russia, on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, we can hope that they will give up any military nuclear plans. Iran will no longer need to enrich uranium on its own as it will receive fuel from our TVEL.

One more important point is that the whole irradiated fuel will be sent back to Russia and that IAEA will be able to control the flow of the uranium throughout its life.

To remind, on Dec 16 2007 Atomstroyexport CJSC started supplying fuel to the future Bushehr NPP in Iran.

A total of 163 basic and 17 reserve fuel assemblies (3.62% uranium-235 enrichment) are to be supplied to the site for the first fueling.
 
The deliveries are to be carried out in several stages for a total period of two months.

The first stage was finished on Dec 16 2007: containers sealed by IAEA experts were delivered to the site and placed in a special storage facility (guaranteed by IAEA).