Bushehr, Iran’s first nuclear power plant, will start commercial energy production by the end of 2012, the plant's General Designer Valery Limarenko said on Monday.
"We want to put it [into commercial production] at the end of this year. We plan to complete the main work concerning machinery testing this year but the necessary documents are likely to be signed next year," Limarenko told RIA Novosti.
Atomstroyexport, part of Russia's civilian nuclear power corporation Rosatom, said in early May that Bushehr would start working up to full capacity from May 23.
Under a bilateral agreement approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia will operate the plant, supply its fuel and take away all the spent fuel for the next two or three years, but will eventually hand over full control to Iran.
