Russia is building a reactor for the Bushehr plant in southern Iran, and a Russian delegation is currently in Tehran for nuclear negotiations.
"Fuel deliveries to the Bushehr NPP require preparations three months in advance, and we plan to start the preparations in January 2007 to be able to deliver the fuel in March," Sergei Shmatko, head of Atomstroyexport, said.
"We have stuck to the schedule, which envisions fuel deliveries to Bushehr six months ahead of the launch of Iran's nuclear power plant," he said after a meeting with Iran's nuclear chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh.
The Bushehr facility has been a source of international dispute in the context of Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions, with the United States and other Western countries raising concerns that Iran may use the project to develop nuclear weapons.
Shmatko said Moscow and Tehran had agreed on stable funding for the Bushehr plant. He said Iran has already paid $900 million and that his company has provided a loan of $140 million for the project.
"Most importantly, we have confirmed that everything will proceed according to plan, but only if Iran finances $20-25 million for the construction of Bushehr every month," Shmatko said, lauding Iran's payment of $22 million to Russia in November.
"It is about three times more than we received in 2006," he said. "They have promised us that the Iranian side will maintain the pace."
Shmatko also said Russian and Iranian experts would meet again early next year to negotiate the Bushehr construction.
"We have agreed on parameters today, and the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza Aghazade, was happy," he said. "We agreed to hold negotiations on the issue in Tehran after the New Year holidays."
Shmatko also said the two sides discussed nuclear equipment deliveries to Bushehr from other countries.
Following Tehran's refusal to halt its uranium enrichment activities in exchange for a package of incentives, European countries proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution introducing sanctions, including restrictions on nuclear fuel deliveries to the Bushehr plant.
As a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member that has consistently defended Iran's right to generate nuclear power for civilian use, Russia spoke up against the European draft and proposed amendments to soften the document.
