By Xinhua
Tehran : Iran received a sixth shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia on Thursday for its first nuclear power plant being built at the Gulf port city of Bushehr, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The 11-ton shipment has been forwarded to Bushehr nuclear power plant, IRNA quoted Iran’s Atomic Energy Production and Development Company as saying.
So far, 66 tons out of a total 82 tons of fuel needed for primary stage of commissioning of the Bushehr nuclear power plant have been received, the company said, noting that the remaining two shipments will be delivered to Iran according to the schedule.
Located in southwestern Iran, Bushehr plant is the country’s first nuclear power station, but the start of the plant has been long delayed.
Earlier this year, the two sides had disputes over the construction payment, which led to the postponement.
Iranian has said it would put Bushehr power plant into operation with half capacity in the summer of 2008, but the Russian contractor Atomostroiexport said last December that it would take at least one year to start operation.
The United States and some of its allies have worried Iran may use power plant as a civilian cover to develop atomic weapons and have called on Russia to suspend the Bushehr project.
Russian Foreign Ministry, however, has promised that those fuel will be under control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying “all fuel that will be delivered will be under control and guarantees of the IAEA for the whole time it stays on Iranian territory.”