The plant is operating at its minimal level—but it is now operating, a third of a century after construction began.
Atomstroieksport, the construction company, said it had initiated the fission process, or criticality, starting up the process by which atoms split themselves.
The firm said the reactor would now be fully tested at this low level of operation. Later it will be switched up to half speed and then later connected to the national electricity grid. Fars news agency said the link to the national grid would come in July.
The plant has been delayed numerous times over the years. The most recent delay came when the Russians discovered several weeks ago that pieces of a pump had chipped off inside the reactor. All the fuel had to be taken out and the interior of the reactor cleaned.
Construction was started in the 1970s by a German firm. Iran canceled the nuclear program after the revolution, but then decided it wanted to finish this one plant of the 20 planned by the Shah. The Germans refused to return. Russia signed a contract in 1995 to complete the plant by January 1999. It is now 12 /2 years overdue.
The cost is unknown. The original contract in 1995 was for $800 million. That was later revised to $1.2 billion. No one has given an updated figure in more than a decade.
