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Ear to the Ground

Grand Opening: Iranian Nuclear Plant

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Posted on Aug 21, 2010
AP / Vahid Salemi

A security gate marks the entrance to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, 750 miles south of Tehran.

Drum roll, please. After 36 years in the making and with great help from Russia in its construction, Iran held a ceremony Saturday to mark the opening of the country’s first nuclear power plant. The event marked the beginning of the transfer of uranium fuel rods into the plant, which aims to start producing electricity later this year.

The U.S. and other Western nations remain wary that Iran is using its civilian program to mask plans to build a bomb —JCL

The New York Times:

Thirty-six years after construction began under the shah, Iran finally opened its first nuclear power plant at a ceremony on Saturday.

Attended by senior officials from Iran and Russia, which helped build the station through years of concern by the United States and other Western nations that Iran was using its civilian program to mask a plan to build a bomb, the ceremony marked the beginning of the transfer of low-enriched uranium fuel rods from a storage site into the plant.

Officials of both countries said Saturday’s events signified the opening, not the startup, of the plant near Bushehr, in southern Iran, as a working nuclear plant.

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rico, suave's avatar

By rico, suave, August 22, 2010 at 12:00 pm Link to this comment

Just wanted to clear that up. Let’s disagree on the “inevitability” of a disaster. And, so far, only one in the world Chernobyl has “exploded” and it was the Model-T of nuke plants, being run by the only handful of sleep-deprived technicians the Russian government thought might be sober.

Report this

By samosamo, August 22, 2010 at 11:00 am Link to this comment

****************


Not at all, but who will stop the building of nuclear power plants
these days. And I doubt complaining will stop it either, only the
inevitable disaster will stop that or at least the next plant the
explodes.

Report this
rico, suave's avatar

By rico, suave, August 22, 2010 at 9:55 am Link to this comment

samo:

Are you saying you’re ok with nuclear power?

Report this

By trisha, August 21, 2010 at 4:34 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Wasn’t it Cheney who advocated for Iran to begin a nuclear power generation program in 1976? Anyway, it’s built, now, and almost ready to go online. It will make a useful contribution to the energy needs of Iran. Fox Noise, of course, is bleating that Bushehr will be able to produce weapons grade material. It can’t of course, because it is a light water reactor. That, of course, will make no difference to Fox, nor the pro-Israeli factions in America and Europe. As for the public at large? Need I say it?

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Paolo's avatar

By Paolo, August 21, 2010 at 4:24 pm Link to this comment

I see this story as good news all around. Iran gets to have nuclear power, which will raise their standard of living. There is not now, and there never has been, any evidence of diversion of fuel to any clandestine nuclear weapons program.

The US and Iran are both signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Under that treaty, the US is supposed to HELP countries like Iran develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes. Under the same treaty, Iran allows regular inspections of its facilities to ensure no fissionable material is diverted.

Israel, by the way, is NOT a signatory to the NPT. Gosh—I wonder if THEY have nuclear weapons?

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By samosamo, August 21, 2010 at 10:25 am Link to this comment

****************


Always like to visit sites like TD, never can tell when one can
pick up some unexpected history. Such as “”“Thirty-six years
after construction began under the shah, Iran finally opened its
first nuclear power plant at a ceremony on Saturday.”“”

Goddamn if that doesn’t implicate the hypocrisy of the collusion
of our government and the oil companies when it was OK for the
western and oil installed shah of iran to build a nuclear power
facility so the oil could flow out faster and more cheaply for
higher profits for BP, believe it or not; but current day Iran can’t
be allowed the right to have nuclear power so’s to sell THEIR oil
to other countries such as china, japan who most likely would
not appreciate someone blasting Iran to hell just to confiscate
their oil. Must really have those western oil companies,
especially BP, fuming at the indignity of it all.

Now I hope Iran handles the ‘spent’ fuel rods with extra care.

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