Rosatom Increases Staff at Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant to 63

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Russia's state-owned Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, said on Tuesday that the number of Rosatom employees who had returned to Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant had increased to 63. Likhachev noted that Rosatom is steadily increasing the number of employees at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant construction site in Iran.

"Yesterday, another 18 specialists joined our team at the plant. The team is working on the construction of Power Units 2 and 3 in cooperation with Iranian contractors. The number of members of the Russian team at the plant has reached 63," the Rosatom chief said. In March, Rosatom evacuated hundreds of staff after the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.

In a Tuesday statement, Likhachev said that currently, construction efforts are focused on building reactor buildings and turbine halls for two power units, with the first operational unit operating at full capacity. "Taking regional conditions into account, we are increasing the number of employees. Safety is the top priority. The situation at the project site is currently calm; however, a significant increase in the number of our employees in Iran will only be possible once peace agreements between Iran and the United States have been finalized and stabilized," he added.

According to Mehr News, the return of Russian specialists to the Bushehr site follows a period of reduced staffing due to regional tensions. The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is Iran's first nuclear power plant, originally completed with Russian assistance and connected to the national grid in 2011. Units 2 and 3 are being constructed as part of an expansion project.