Iran Powers Up Bushehr Nuclear Plant

The Iranian nuclear plant of Bushehr is being launched Monday after years of delays. Nuclear experts say that while the plant may not be used for weapons’ production, it could present safety issues. Anchor Lisa Mullins talks to David Albright, President of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington.

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Lisa Mullins: Russia is also a key player when it comes to Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The Russians have worked with Iran for years on the development of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. Well, today Iran announced that it is stepping up operations at Bushehr. The Power Plant’s launch has been delayed for years as the U.S. and other nations grew suspicious of Iran’s nuclear power program. David Albright is President of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. He says Bushehr remains a controversial project.

David Albright: It involves a German reactor that was sold to Iran in the ’70s. Germany dropped out – Russia stepped in, and part of the controversial part is this – that Iran spent a billion dollars buying equipment from Germany and they wanted to re-use that equipment. And so, they have imposed on the Russians the requirement that old German equipment that dates back to the ’70s and ’80s will be used in this Russian designed nuclear reactor that’s been fitted into the old German buildings. That creates problems. Equipment only lasts for a certain length of time even if it is idle, and some of that equipment is already broken. A water pump broke. It has raised concerns that, maybe in 5 – 10 years from now, more of this equipment will be breaking. And that brings up another issue. Is Iran ready to regulate and run a nuclear power plant? It has some old-fashioned regulatory structures; it has not signed onto the International Conventions that are surround nuclear power, and so there is worry that its regulatory environment is not robust enough to police this, the operation’s reactor, and make sure that all the procedures are properly followed.

Mullins: Yeah, but the Russians also have a role in this.

Albright: Well, they do for a while. There is something called a ‘guaranteed period of assistance’ that lasts for one year from the start of commercial operation, and so, it should be either starting today or soon. Russia will continue to have its people run the plant, it will be teaching the Iranians and they will be responsible for any repairs. And I think, during the time the Russians are around, probably we don’t have much to worry about. In my mind, it’s once they leave and Iran takes over this, because of this odd design of combining the German and Russian reactor.

Mullins: Right now, this plant is pumping out electricity at about a 40% capacity to provide electrical power to Iranians. They say that they are entitled to do that. There has been, at least, concern though that that could be a one point converted into some kind of nuclear weaponry. Is that still a concern?

Albright: Much, much so. I mean, Iran spent $2 billion on this plant to generate electricity. It would have to be a pretty major national emergency that would lead it to decide to use it to make plutonium for nuclear weapons or divert low-enriched uranium to nuclear weapons. I mean, that’s not a simple step; they would have to further enrich it. And its indigenous, national uranium enrichment program is probably a decade or more from being able to produce enough low-enriched uranium every year to fuel the Bushehr reactor. In terms of commercial operations, it has a very dinky enrichment program that doesn’t even operate very well. And so, to think they could use that enrichment program to fuel Bushehr is just not credible for at least a decade. And so, if Iran refuses the Bushehr reactor, it’s going to stop operation and its $2 billion investment. I think Iran is unlikely to want to do that.

Mullins: All right. David Albright is the former inspector of the Iraqi Nuclear Weapons Program. He is now President of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. Nice to talk to you.

Albright: I thank you very much.

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