Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Vice President Mohammad Eslami announced on Monday that construction of a fourth nuclear reactor has begun in the city of Isfahan.
Eslami said the “process of pouring concrete into the foundation of the reactor” is currently underway.his office Said Iranian state media reported that once completed, the 10-megawatt reactor will be used for fuel testing, production of industrial radioisotopes and processing of pharmaceuticals.
There are currently three research reactors in Isfahan.Iran has it operational Nuclear power plant, a 3,000-megawatt facility in Bushehr. His second reactor using a Russian design has been under construction in Bushehr since late 2019, and a third is planned thereafter.
In this photo taken on November 10, 2019, the Iranian flag is raised during the official ceremony for the start of construction on reactor 2 at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Last Thursday, Eslami announced that a completely new nuclear power facility is planned in the city of Sirik, more powerful than the existing reactor in Bushehr, with a capacity of about 5,000 megawatts.
“By 2041, we must achieve a nuclear power production capacity of 20,000 MW in the country,” Eslami said, indicating that at least one more reactor is planned after the Sirik and Bushehr expansions. .
The opposition media organization “Iran International” very skeptical Regarding Eslami’s claims on Sunday, he pointed out that the price tag for the Shiriq reactor would be at least $20 billion, an amount that would be difficult for Iran to pay given international sanctions over its nuclear missile program.
Iran International said, “The difficulties Iran has faced in building new power plants over the past decade raise questions about whether the 25,000 megawatts of new electricity it sought to achieve in previous national development plans will be achievable.” “We are causing this,” he said, pointing out what Iran is claiming. By 2021, we plan to generate 5% of our electricity from nuclear and other non-fossil fuel sources, but only 1% will actually be under our control.
Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami speaks at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Assembly held at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on September 26, 2022. (JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran has always maintained that its ambition to enrich uranium is purely for civilian purposes, such as power generation and manufacturing medical products. In fact, Iran has spent millions on a vast stockpile of enriched uranium, far exceeding civilian demand and just below the level needed for a nuclear weapon.
As Iran International pointed out, this leaves Iran with a seemingly pointless inability to generate enough electricity from nuclear power to meet its energy security goals, despite spending heavily on uranium. placed in a meaningful position.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report In November, it was announced that Iran now has enough 60% enriched uranium to make three nuclear bombs, which could be refined to 90% in a relatively quick and easy process. .
Even more alarming evaluation Iran has already refined enough uranium to weapons grade to make one bomb within a week and six bombs within a month, according to a report released Monday by the nonprofit Institute for Science and International Security. It is said that there is
The institute combined this level of uranium enrichment with Iranian uranium enrichment. hostile international attitude and shortage transparency It concluded that there was now an “extreme risk” that Tehran would build nuclear weapons.
