Iran’s Nuclear Plant Connected to Grid

Posted September 4th, 2011 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
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Iranian officials said Sunday the country's first nuclear power plant has been connected to the national electricity grid.

The Bushehr power plant is said to be supplying 60 megawatts.

The plant had missed its late August start-up date due to delays Iranian lawmakers blame on the plant's Russian builders.

Last month, the newspaper Aftab quoted lawmaker Asgar Jalalian as saying the Russian state-owned energy company, Rosatom, reneged on promises regarding the plant's construction.

He told the newspaper that construction costs at the plant had surged, partly because Iran's contract with Rosatom has no financial ceiling or end date. Rosatom had no comment on the Iranian lawmaker's allegation.

Jalalian is a member of an Iranian parliamentary committee responsible for overseeing the status of the Bushehr plant, which has been hit by repeated delays since Russia began work on it in 1995.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian energy program, a charge Iran denies.