This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Iran’s atomic energy body says the country’s sole nuclear power plant has been temporarily shut down over a “technical fault.”
“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 overnight.
The agency added that the power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr will be reconnected to the national electricity network “within the next few days” after the issue is resolved.
An official from the state electric company Tavanir, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said the shutdown would last “three to four days,” and that power outages could ensue.
In a statement, Tavanir said the nuclear plant was being repaired, adding that the repair work would take until June 25. It did not offer further details
This is the first time Iran has reported an emergency shutdown of the Bushehr plant, which went online in 2011.
The facility was completed by Russia after years of delay, with its only reactor producing 1,000 megawatts of power.
In 2016, Russian and Iranian companies began building two additional reactors at the site. Their construction was expected to take around 10 years.
Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, and Tehran is required to send spent fuel rods back to Russia as a nuclear nonproliferation measure.
The facility is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, which acknowledged being aware of reports about the plant but declined to comment.
Iran started rolling blackouts in May this year after several cities were hit by power cuts that the authorities said had been caused by drought impacting hydropower generation and surging electricity demand blamed in part on heat and cryptocurrency mining.
Bushehr Province was shaken in April by an earthquake that left five people injured but caused “no damage” to the nuclear complex, according to Iranian authorities.
Also in April, Iran accused Israel of being behind an attack on its Natanz uranium enrichment plant after a blast at the facility.
