And it will be transported how?
Air?
Ship?
Rail?
Truck?
It’s already there.
..................................
The Russian state corporation Atomstroiexport said on Monday they had delivered the first batch of nuclear fuel supplies. The delivery is expected to last up to two months. On Tuesday, the Iranian side confirmed the fuel’s arrival and said that the Bushehr plant will soon be launched.
The rather sensational way of presenting this news can be explained by the international rules of transportation of nuclear materials enforced by the IAEA: any movement of such materials across national borders must be secret to prevent theft or terrorist attacks. This was also the reason why the Russian side was ambiguous as to the expected delivery completion.
The Russian side stressed that all safety requirements during the transportation are strictly observed - IAEA experts sealed the containers before they were carried out of the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant that produces the nuclear fuel for Iran. The same experts will remove the seals in Iran allowing the fuel to be unloaded. Until this moment, the Russians stress, the containers will be kept in a special depot equipped with special means of video surveillance connected to IAEA headquarters.
Russia’s $1 billion Bushehr project has lately been under the threat of closure because the international community, led by the United States and Israel, strongly opposed its start, fearing that Iran could use the project in its military nuclear program. Russia had to delay the delivery of nuclear fuel, initially scheduled for March, citing payment problems from the Iranian side. But the payment problems were probably due to Tehran’s fears that there would not be any fuel deliveries, which would make the project worthless.
Now, with the problems apparently overcome, the Bushehr plant is expected to start generating electricity in June of next year. The date will be officially announced later this month, Atomstroiexport’s president Sergei Shmatko told reporters last week.