Russia to expand nuclear team at Iran's Bushehr plant to 150 specialists

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to increase the number of its specialists at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant to 150 in the near future, Interfax reported. Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said that 47 of the company's specialists have so far returned to the Bushehr plant in Iran, and that Russia intends to raise the number to 150.

"Currently the number is 47 specialists, and our goal is to reach 150," Likhachev told reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The statement indicates a planned expansion of Russia's technical presence at the facility, which has been a longstanding site of bilateral nuclear cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.

In the same remarks, Likhachev said that the Dniprovska power transmission line leading to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been repaired by the Russian side. He added that restarting the line requires power supply from the Kyiv-controlled section, and that no decision has yet been taken on the matter.

The comments were made during the BRICS summit, where officials from member states gathered for discussions. The Bushehr plant, Iran's first nuclear power plant, was built with Russian assistance and has been operating with Rosatom's support. The reported increase in specialists would mark a further step in that cooperation.

According to Mehr News, Likhachev's remarks covered both the Bushehr staffing plans and the status of the Zaporizhzhia power line, with no timeline given for when the additional specialists would arrive at Bushehr or when a decision on the Dniprovska line might be reached.