Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom announced on Thursday that work on the site of Phase 2 of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran has started.

“On 3 May 2018, soil stabilization works under the reactor building of power unit No 2 commenced at Bushehr-2 NPP construction site,” the agency said on its website, Press TV reported.

It said, “These works will ensure the performance of the most important stage of the project implementation - first concrete pouring planned for the third quarter of 2019.”

Rosatom said the commencement of the works in the pit of the new power unit is planned for 2018, adding that all works are being performed in accordance with the project implementation schedule.

Soil stabilization is one of the preparatory stages for commencement of the nuclear power plant construction required to reduce the settlement of buildings and structures of the power plant and ensuring their stability in case of possible seismic impact.

Tehran and Moscow clinched a deal in 1992 to cooperate on the first stage of the Bushehr project. Under the deal, the first reactor was connected to the national electric grid in 2012 and reached full capacity in the following year.

In November 2014, Nuclear Power Production and Development Company of Iran (NPPD) and Russia’s Atomstroiexport signed two contracts: for the construction of units 2, 3 of Bushehr-2 under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction terms and on a turnkey basis and for engineering studies and collection of data at the site of Bushehr-2.

The contract for construction of the second line of Bushehr NPP consists of two units of Russian design with a total capacity of 2,100 megawatts.

NA/PA