Iran's state broadcaster reported today, Saturday, that the Bushehr nuclear power plant has resumed operations after being shut down for repairs two weeks ago. Mustafa Rajeebi Mohajer, spokesperson for the state energy company Tavanir, stated, "After repairs, the Bushehr nuclear power plant is back in operation, supplying the national power grid with 1,000 megawatts of electricity."
Iran has been experiencing power outages, which officials attribute to high electricity demand due to hot and dry weather during the summer. A week ago, the head of the Iranian Nuclear Energy Organization announced that the Bushehr plant would resume activity within two days, indicating that the current fuel supply at the Bushehr nuclear plant would be exhausted in the next two to three months. Additionally, he noted that efforts are ongoing to provide new fuel for the Bushehr nuclear plant.
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization had announced that its only nuclear power station located in the south of the country was shut down due to an unspecified "technical failure." The organization also issued a brief statement last Monday saying, "Following a technical failure at the Bushehr plant, operations were temporarily halted and it was disconnected from the national power grid." While the specific nature of the problem was not detailed, it was confirmed that "naturally, after this technical issue is resolved, the plant will be reconnected to the national power grid," according to AFP.
It is noteworthy that an Iranian official had reported an unexpected halt in electricity production at the Bushehr plant but did not disclose the reasons or provide further details. The plant was constructed by Russia on the shores of the Gulf, is equipped with a reactor with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, and began operations in 2013. Bushehr is located on the Gulf coast in southern Iran, an area that often experiences seismic activity and tremors.
