Azernews.Az

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereydoun Abbasi Davani has said that the country's nuclear power plant Bushehr would need 2-3 years to become fully operational, Trend news agency reported referring to Fars agency.

"According to the scheduled plan, the plant should produce about 20,000 megawatt hours of electricity," Abbasi noted.

He added that Bushehr can work on its nominal capacity, however for the full implementation of the project, more time is needed, namely 2-3 years.

Abbasi noted that after all the security measures are taken, the Iranian specialists can take the control of Bushehr from the Russian experts.

"The necessary security tests need to be undertaken, to ensure everything is right, security wise," Abbasi said. "This is vital for us to be sure that the plant works safely."

Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995, according to which the plant was originally scheduled for completion in 1999.

In September 2011, the Bushehr plant officially began its operations, generating electricity at 40 percent of its capacity.

The 1000-megawatt plant, which is operating under the full supervision of the IAEA, reached its maximum power generation capacity for the first time on August 30, 2012.

Iran and Russia have assured the international community that the plant is fully compliant with high-level safety standards.