Russia halts work on Bushehr nuclear power plant over strikes on Iran

Russian nuclear giant Rosatom announced it had halted work on the construction of new units at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. The reason is ongoing US and Israeli airstrikes against a number of targets in Iran. According to the company’s director, hundreds of employees remain at the site, although their evacuation is already underway. Bushehr nuclear power plant currently has one operational unit, with two more under construction at the site.

Iran’s nuclear program is one of the main points of dispute with the US and Israel, and also one of the causes of the ongoing military strikes. The country has been developing its nuclear program for a long time, particularly through uranium enrichment, prompting the United States to launch a military strike as early as the middle of last year.

In terms of nuclear power, however, Iran currently has just one generating unit at Bushehr nuclear power plant. Construction began in the mid-1970s, but was interrupted shortly afterwards by the Iranian Islamic Revolution. The government did not express interest in resuming construction until the 1990s, but the unit did not enter operation until the beginning of the previous decade.

Construction of the units faces significant delays, and their future is uncertain

Iran nevertheless has strong ambitions in nuclear power. As for the existing Bushehr plant, Iran signed an agreement with Russia to expand it more than 10 years ago. Construction work on the second unit began in 2017, and the first concrete was poured toward the end of 2019. The second unit was originally due to be completed in 2024, and the third this year. In 2024, however, Iran indicated that the second unit was expected to be completed around 2029. According to Russia’s Rosatom, work is also underway on the third unit project, but no further details are available.

Bushehr is not the end of Iran’s plans for nuclear power. In 2024, the country launched the Iran-Hormoz nuclear power plant project, which is expected to have four units with a total installed capacity of 5 GW. The country then planned to increase capacity from nuclear sources to as much as 20 GW by 2041. In light of current events, however, the future of nuclear power in the country is highly uncertain.