ASTRA: Rosatom evacuates staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant

Alexey Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has announced a large-scale evacuation of personnel from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran as regional tensions intensify.

Likhachev said more than 200 employees have already left the facility, with only a limited number of volunteers remaining on site, ASTRA reports. 

He indicated that around 50 staff members, including security personnel, would stay to maintain operational readiness of construction equipment and ensure the functioning of the construction camp and related facilities. He stressed that the company does not plan to abandon the plant entirely.

According to Likhachev, explosions have been recorded within several hundred metres of the site — approximately 700 to 900 metres away — underscoring a worsening security situation. He said preparations were underway for a final, large-scale wave of evacuations during the week.

Rosatom previously reported that on March 18, a strike hit an area near the metrology service building within the industrial zone of the Bushehr plant. The company said there were no casualties as a result of the incident.

By Sabina Mammadli