Iran hints of second nuclear facility

TEHRAN, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Iranian government indicated Monday it was building another nuclear power plant in addition to the facility in Bushehr.

The disclosure came via comments by Gholamreza Aghazadeh, of Iran's atomic organization, to state-run television and reported by the Fars news agency. He reportedly was dismissing speculation that the fuel would allow Iran to cease its uranium enrichment program in Natanz, The New York Times reported.

"We are building a 360-megawatt indigenous power plant in Darkhovein," Aghazadeh said, referring to a city north of Bushehr. "The fuel for this plant needs to be produced by Natanz enrichment plant."

Aghazadeh said the centrifuges at the Natanz plant needed to be increased from 3,000 to 50,000, so it could produce fuel for a 100-megawatt plant.

The comments were made while he confirmed Iran received the first fuel shipment for its nuclear power plant at Bushehr. Aghazadeh said the shipment was made after an agreement was made between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Aghazadeh said nearly 95 percent of the work at Bushehr was completed and the facility could produce power and it could produce power as early March.