All the assemblage work is scheduled to be finished this year. The reactor has been installed, basic equipment assembled back in 2002. The assembling of systems is under way. "This March we are to finish assembling the systems in charge of putting the unit into operation. These are fire extinguishing, electric power supply, deionized water and refrigeration supply systems and others," Alexander Afrov, Vice President of the Atomstroiexport Company and Director of the department in charge of building the Bushehr power plant, said.
The Bushehr plant is situated on a small peninsula, jutting out into the Persian Gulf. Proximity to water is one of the terms of the project. The use of sea water requires special equipment, most part of which was delivered by the German Siemens company, a pioneer in the project. When the Islamic revolution broke out in Iran in 1979, the Germans quit the construction. More than twenty years later Russian experts took over the project. It was not put out to tender, because nobody could be tempted by the abandoned project, eroded by heat and wind.
The peculiarity of the work was to take up the construction where German experts had left off. It took several years for Russian and Iranian engineers to appraise the state of the project. As a result, out of 35,000 units of German equipment 30,000 were rejected. Moreover, the experts had to combine the remaining equipment with new components and solve the problem of discrepancy in layout and size. Rejected equipment was dismantled andreplaced. For example, the engineers have recently replaced the equipment of a pumping station, which supplies water to chill down the condenser of a turbine, and part of a distilling installation, because the metal was worn out. The engineers are waiting for the delivery of new equipment, made of titanium and plastic able to stand the exposure to seawater, says Mr. Afrov.
"The Iranian administration understands that our difficulties are objective in essence and result from the peculiarity of the project.," the official points out. "We comply with the schedule and terms of the contract. All the criticism in mass media, both Iranian and Russian, moreover, accusations of deliberate protraction of work are biased, I believe," Mr. Afrov remarked.
Russian experts are seeking to fulfil their obligations in compliance with the timeframe fixed in the contract and thus secure new contracts in Iran, which intends to develop the nuclear energy sector.
The 1,000-megawatt water-cooled power-generating unit being constructed in Bushehr meets international standards in terms of safety and performance, which has been confirmed by the IAEA examination.
