Russia’s state nuclear corporation was also ready to send its specialists back to Iran as soon as it was clear there was no threat of renewed military conflcit, Likhachev told reporters.
According to the corporation’s in-house news magazine Strana Rosatom, Likhachev said there were 20 Rosatom staff at the construction site, and four more in the central office in Iran’s capital, Tehran.
“About 2,200 employees of Iranian contractors have already returned to the construction site. The main work is focused on reinforcing and concreting unit 2, which is under construction. The number of Iranian workers continues to grow,” said Likhachev.
After giving the update on progress with the reactor and steam generators, he said “we plan to begin shipping key equipment next year. We are continuing casting and forging metallurgical blanks for the equipment for unit 3”.
An aerial mage of unit 2, shared by the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran in January (Image: AEOI)
Another view of unit 2, shared by AEOI in January (Image: AEOI)
According to a report by the official Tass news agency, he said “the project remains a priority for us. Rosatom’s enterprises continue to manufacture equipment for the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant as planned”. The agency also reported him as saying that unit 1 at the plant continues to work at 100% capacity.
Background
The USA and Israel launched attacks on Iran on 28 February, saying they were targeting Iran’s leadership and its military infrastructure. Iran has retaliated – there is currently a ceasefire and talks taking place aimed at ending the conflict. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said that diplomacy and negotiations are the way “to achieve the long-term assurance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons and for maintaining the continued effectiveness of the global non-proliferation regime”.
The first unit at the Bushehr plant was connected to the grid in 2011. It is a Russian-designed VVER unit with a capacity of 915 MWe. Two further units featuring VVER-1000 units are under construction – unit 2 had first concrete poured in 2019 and the core catcher installed in 2024. In January the third tier of the inner containment building for unit 2 was installed.
At an event at the IAEA’s General Conference in September 2024, Iran suggested unit 2’s then target date for operation was 2029. According to Russia’s Rosatom, unit 3 is also under construction.
In September 2025, Rosatom and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the building of small modular reactors in Iran. The country says it has an ambition for 20 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2041.
