News

Iran began loading uranium fuel rods into the core of its first nuclear power plant on Tuesday, a process considered as the last major step to start up the long-delayed Russia-built reactor.

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali-Akbar Salehi said "injecting 163 fuel rods into the core of the Bushehr reactor has started," and the plant would join national grid in mid-February, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

"Although it is an approximate date, we hope that if everything goes according to the schedule, we could see the plant connected to the national grid in mid-February," Salehi said.