Atomic Energy Organisation: Iran completes first phase of Karun nuclear plant

Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami has announced that the first phase of construction of the Karun nuclear power plant in the southwestern province of Khuzestan has been successfully completed.

During a visit to the province on February 23, Mohammad Eslami said the construction of the Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant was well underway some 12 years after Iranian authorities had initially decided to abandon the project because foreigners had reneged on their contractual obligations, according to Mehr.

“We decided to do this project ourselves,” the Iranian nuclear chief said, adding that now the first phase of the nuclear power plant has been completed.

Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran had signed a $2 billion contract with a French company to build a nuclear power plant at Darkhovin. However, the French withdrew from the project.

They did not fulfill their obligations due to the sanctions and abandoned the project, Eslami said.

The Darkhovin facility is a 300 MW domestically-designed pressurized water reactor (PWR) located about 70 kilometres south of Ahvaz at the Karun River.