Russia to build 8 nuclear plants in Iran: atomic chief

TEHRAN, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian atomic chief has announced that Russia will construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran under a previously signed contract between the two countries, the official news agency IRNA reported.

President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami made the remarks on Monday during a visit by members of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee to the AEOI headquarters in Tehran.

Eslami stated that four of the eight planned nuclear reactors would be constructed in the southern province of Bushehr.

He also updated lawmakers on the ongoing construction of units 2 and 3 at the existing Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, emphasizing that those units are being built by Iranian companies.

Speaking to reporters after the parliamentary delegation's visit, Eslami added that the AEOI has plans to triple Iran's nuclear power generation capacity, as part of the country's broader energy development strategy.

Completed by Russia in May 2011, the Bushehr plant, Iran's first and only operational nuclear power facility, has been central to the country's civilian nuclear energy program and has long involved cooperation with Russia's state nuclear agency, Rosatom. ■