By IANS
Tehran : Iran’s first nuclear power plant will become operational next year, according to schedule, Energy Minister Parviz Fattah has said.
He added that the capacity of Bushehr power plant would be 1,000 megawatts, IRNA new agency reported Sunday.
New year in Iran begins March 21.
Fattah said that with the delivery of the first consignment of fuel by Russia, 500 megawatts of electricity from the power plant would be on the national grid by next summer.
He hoped the plant would operate on full capacity by March 20, 2009.
Iran’s nuclear power project has given rise to an international controversy as the US and some other western powers suspect Tehran of carrying out a secret nuclear weapons programme in the disguise of a power project.
Iran says its nuclear programme is only for civilian use.