Bushehr nuclear fueling said complete

TEHRAN, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Fuel-loading at the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran is complete, Russian contractor Atomstroiexport said Thursday.

Iranian media also reported Ali Akbar Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as saying the fueling process was finished and the reactor had been capped, RIA Novosti reported.

Salehi said the reactor will be able to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity within the next six-to-nine months.

Under an agreement approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia will operate the plant initially, supplying its fuel and removing spent fuel for the next two or three years, RIA Novosti said. Eventually, full control of the facility will be turned over to Iran.