TEHRAN – The Bushehr nuclear power plant is currently connected to the national grid with 50 percent of its power generation capacity, ISNA reported on Tuesday. 

According to the report, the power plant will remain connected to the national grid for several weeks and then will be disconnected to undergo safety and technical checks.   

The power plant first was launched in August 2010 as engineers loaded 163 fuel rods into the reactor under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that the power plant will be connected to the national grid by February 20.      

But in February, Iran unloaded fuel from the reactor due to safety concerns. Later, Iranian engineers in cooperation with Russian experts completed the reloading of the reactor and after carrying out rigorous safety tests and inspections gave permission for the initial relaunch of the power plant.     

On September 12, the Bushehr power plant was temporarily connected to the national grid with 40 percent of its power generation capacity.  

The AEOI has announced that the power plant will reach its full capacity in November. 

The plant, which is located near the port city of Bushehr on the coast of the Persian Gulf, will generate 1000 megawatts of electricity once it becomes fully operational.