Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant undergoes emergency shutdown

• 3 years ago (2021-06-22)
• David Flin

Middle East 326 Nuclear 659

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Bushehr, Iran’s only nuclear power plant, underwent what authorities describe as a temporary emergency shutdown, although no explanation for the cause of the shutdown has yet been given.

Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, an official from Iran’s state electricity utility Tavanir, said that the shutdown began on 19 June, and is expected to last for “three to four days." He said that power outages could result.

This is the first time the plant has reported an emergency shutdown since it went online in 2011.

Mahmoud Jafari, Deputy of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) said in March 2021 that the plant might need to be stopped since Iran cannot procure parts and equipment for it from Russia due to the banking sanctions imposed by the USA in 2018.