Rosatom says new Iran nuclear projects depend on conditions as 180 staff work at Bushehr

Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, has said that the company's work on new projects to build small- and large-scale nuclear power plants in Iran depends on the country's military, political and economic conditions, according to Mehr News.

Speaking about Rosatom's presence at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Likhachev said 180 employees from the company are currently working at the site, and that this number is set to increase to 300 in the near future. He did not give a timeline for the planned increase.

On the question of new construction, Likhachev framed the prospect of additional small- and large-capacity nuclear plants in Iran as conditional rather than confirmed, tying any decision to the prevailing military, political and economic circumstances. He did not elaborate on which specific projects were under discussion or what conditions would need to be met.

Separately, Likhachev said Rosatom requires up to 40 icebreakers and ice-capable vessels to develop and support the Northern Sea Route, and that orders for the construction of the first batch of these vessels will be transferred and assigned to Russian shipyards. He did not specify how many vessels would be in that first batch or when the orders would be placed.

The remarks combine an update on Rosatom's staffing at Iran's only operating nuclear power plant with the company's separate Arctic shipping plans. The report by Mehr News did not include further details on the scope, value or schedule of any potential new nuclear projects in Iran.