Arak reactor is ready for cold testing

The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi has told Tehran-based Jam-e Jam newspaper recently that "In the document on 25-year cooperation between Iran and China, different areas of energy are mentioned and nuclear energy is also included."

Kamalvandi added that "We hope to have good cooperation in various fields, especially power plants and small and medium-sized power plants, given China's capacity and capabilities and the need for the development of the country's nuclear industry."

The senior Iranian nuclear official added that "We have already negotiated with China on small power plants so that we can reach agreements and work on nuclear cooperation."

"It seems that Iran and China can have a lot in common in the field of the nuclear industry," he added.

According to the AEOI spokesman "The 25-year agreement will pave the way for the development of strategic industry cooperation between the two countries."

Elsewhere, he referred to the redesigned Arak nuclear reactor and said that "The Arak project has seen good progress. Its equipment is designed and manufactured by Iranian experts." He explained that the parties to the JCPOA were supposed to help Iran redesigning the Arak reactor, but, according to Kamalvandi, their help was limited to "an initial review."

"In this project, we had good progress in the field of fuel and other areas such as fuel car, cooling pumps, control room and other stuff like that," he said.

"This reactor is ready for cold testing. God willing... In the first half of this [Iranian] year, we will carry out a cold test."

"The Arak reactor can fully meet the needs of the country for decades," the senior Iranian nuclear official added.