Russia discussing new nuclear energy units with Iran

Monday, 20 January 2025

The comments came during a joint press conference following talks with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow and the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty.

Putin said: "Energy remains a crucial area of Russian-Iranian cooperation. The flagship joint project for the construction of two new units of the Bushehr nuclear power plant by Rosatom is making strides. Once implemented, this project will undoubtedly make a weighty contribution to enhancing Iran’s energy security, spur national economic growth, and provide affordable and environmentally friendly electricity for Iranian households and industrial enterprises."

Later, when asked more generally about energy links and "challenges" faced, he referred to gas supply volumes, saying "we believe we should start small with up to two billion cubic metres, but with an option to eventually increase annual shipments to Iran to up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas. The oil sector also offers opportunities for cooperation. We operate a major nuclear project. One unit is operational and things are going well, and we are now discussing the possibility of building additional units. Indeed, we have to push certain deadlines back, mainly due to payment and settlement issues. This is no secret.

"Nevertheless, work is being done and progress is being made. Thousands of people are working on these sites, with approximately 80% of the construction being carried out by local contractors. It is a massive and major effort, and we are moving forward despite some issues that need our attention. This is precisely why we get together to address such issues."

In the transcript of the press conference published by the Kremlin, Iran's president does not directly mention cooperation on nuclear energy, but does say that the treaty would lead to "expanded opportunities for the advancement of our bilateral relations ... particularly in trade and economic interactions between Iran and Russia".

The first unit at the Bushehr plant, which was connected to the grid in 2011, has generated more than 70 billion kWh and according to Russia's official Tass news agency, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev told reporters at the Kremlin event that construction of the second and third units continues "despite the sanctions and pressure" and, according to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), he said negotiations for the construction of another nuclear power plant in Iran would begin "in the near future". He said there would also be cooperation on potential small modular reactors.

A Russian-designed VVER unit with a capacity of 915 MWe is already in operation at Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf coast. Two further units featuring VVER-1000 units are under construction - unit 2, which had first concrete poured in 2019 and the core catcher installed last year, had a scheduled installation of its reactor pressure vessel "30 months later", and physical start-up scheduled "55 months later", which would suggest 2029. That timeline was outlined by Iran at an event at the International Atomic Energy Agency's General Conference last September, when it as also said that the plan was for first concrete for unit 3 in the last quarter of 2024.

According to IRNA, the Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, said last week that the country had a target of having 20 GW of nuclear capacity by 2041, and that they were now in the  "construction and operational" phase of the project for the second and third units at Bushehr.