Iran says sole nuclear power plant shut down due to 'technical fault'

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran says the Bushehr plant was temporarily shut down and taken off the power grid a day after a technical malfunction occurred; state official confirmed the shutdown on Sunday without providing details
AFP|
Iranian officials said early Monday the country's sole nuclear power plant has been temporarily shutdown due to "technical fault".
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  • State TV reported on Sunday the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has undergone a temporary emergency shutdown but did not provide an explanation.
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    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant back in 2006
    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant back in 2006
    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant back in 2006
    (Photo: EPA)
    The country's atomic energy body made the announcement confirming the reasons for the shutdown on the night between Sunday and Monday.
    "Following a technical fault at Bushehr power plant, and after a one-day notice to the energy ministry, the plant was temporarily shut down and taken off the power grid," the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said on its website around Sunday midnight.
    The statement said the plant will be reconnected to the grid and the issue will be resolved "in a few days", but did not elaborate further.
    An official from the state electric energy company, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show on Sunday that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last “for three to four days.”
    2 View gallery
    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant
    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant
    Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant
    (Photo: AP)
    Iran's national electricity company had in a statement on Sunday called on Iranians to minimise consumption during peak hours due to a "predicted rise in temperature" and "limitations in power generation due to ongoing repairs at (the) Bushehr plant". The company said that the repairs may continue until the end of the week, which is Friday in Iran.
    The Bushehr plant, which produces 1,000 megawatts of power, was completed by Russia after years of delay and officially handed over in September 2013.
    In 2016, Russian and Iranian firms began building two additional 1,000-megawatt reactors at Bushehr. Their construction was expected to take 10 years.
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