Iran
plans
to construct a new nuclear reactor for radio-isotope production that is
"more powerful" than its
Tehran
research facility, atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Wednesday.
Salehi said
Tehran
will
be also ready with its first batch of fuel pellets for the existing
Tehran
research center by September 2011.
The atomic chief added
Tehran
will
adopt a "dual-track" policy in dealing with the world powers which
imposed new sanctions on
Tehran
even
as they offered to talk with the Islamic republic over its nuclear program.
"
Iran
is
designing a reactor to produce radio isotopes which will be more powerful than
the
Tehran
reactor," Salehi was quoted as saying on state television's website.
The project would "probably take about five years," Salehi said,
adding the facility's location wasn't yet finalized, ISNA news agency said in a
report that indicated it would be a 20-megawatt reactor.
Salehi, who implements
Iran
's
nuclear program, which Western powers suspect masks an atomic weapons drive,
said
Tehran
wanted to commission several such reactors across the country.
"Our plan is to commission several reactors in the north, south, east and
the west of the country so that we can produce radio isotopes for sale and
export to the regional and Islamic countries that need them," he said.
Since October, the
Tehran
research facility has been embroiled in
Iran
's
confrontation with the West over its fuel supply.
Iran
and
world powers have been unable to agree how to provide the 20% enriched uranium
which when converted into fuel pellets powers the facility.
World powers have raised doubts about
Tehran
's
claims it can make the fuel pellets, but Salehi said
Iran
had
"acquired the technical knowhow" to do so.
"Starting next year (from
March
21, 2011
), we will produce experimental fuel pellets. Based on our timetable, we
expect the first batch (of actual pellets) to be ready by September next
year," Salehi said on state television website.
Salehi's announcement is another defiant step by
Iran
,
which started purifying uranium to 20% on its own despite outrage from the
powers which slapped on the sanctions last week.
The U.N. Security Council resolution passed on June 9 specifies that
Iran
must
abandon the enrichment drive.
Tehran
says
the sensitive work has no military aims.
Salehi said
Iran
too
will adopt a "dual-track" policy to deal with the countries that have
been implementing such a strategy against
Tehran
.
"Our dual-track policy is to have dialogue based on honesty as a first
step and, as a second step, to push ahead with our nuclear program in order to
confront the pressure from enemies."
World powers have been advocating what they say is the
"carrot-and-stick" policy--applying pressure through sanctions and
urging dialogue--to make
Iran
halt
its enrichment program.
Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized this Western policy on
Wednesday, vowing
Tehran
would
now set the conditions for future talks.
"You played foul and broke your promise," he said in a speech in the
central Iranian city of
Shahrekord
which
was broadcast live on state television.
"We will set conditions to discipline you so that you will come and sit
down to talks like a good kid. Bear in mind that when you raise a stick the
Iranian people's fist will smash all your sticks," he said, adding if
Iranian rights are infringed "our nation also has the right to
retaliate."
Mohammad Khatami, a former reformist president turned opposition-backer, later
called for unity to deal with the international sanctions.
"We must be united in the face of the animosity (sanctions) against us,
otherwise how are we stand against this animosity?" he was quoted as
saying on the reformist website Parlemannews.ir.
"These hostilities against
Iran
will
only hurt the people and no-one can accept these acts against
Iran
and
the revolution."
Separately, in a fiery parliament session on Wednesday, speaker Ali Larijani
called on
Iran
's
government to push ahead with its program to enrich uranium to 20%.
"The bullying countries must understand that their illogical pressure will
be proportionately reciprocated by the level of our uranium enrichment which
would depend on our needs," he told parliament, the assembly website said.
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A P� � heir jointly published Nuclear Energy Technology
Roadmap.
"Nuclear energy is one of the key low-carbon energy technologies that can
contribute, alongside energy efficiency, renewable energies and carbon capture
and storage, to the decarbonization of electricity supply by 2050," said
IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka.
Nuclear power is a mature, low-carbon technology unlike many other technologies
such as offshore wind and carbon capture and storage, the report said pointing
to the latest reactor designs now under construction around the world, which
build on over 50 years of technology development.
However, policy-related, industrial, financial and public acceptance barriers
to the rapid growth of nuclear power still remain, the report added.
"Nuclear is already one of the main sources of low-carbon energy today. If
we can address the challenges to its further expansion, nuclear has the
potential to play a larger role in cutting CO2 emissions," said NEA
Director General Luis Echavarri.
E r� `ф base price of 5.30 lira ($3.38) on their first day of trading
on the Istanbul Stock Exchange Wednesday, the Ihlas News Agency, or IHA,
reports.
At 0758 GMT, Anel shares were trading up 1% at TRY5.35, in a 0.28% higher
overall market.
Anel Elektrik set a share price range between TRY5 and TRY6 in its initial
public offering.
IPO bids from domestic and foreign investors totalled TRY37.1 million, Anel
Elektrik said Monday.
It expected TRY80 million-TRY96 million of revenue from the IPO, and said it
will use the money to finance new projects.
The company said it will increase its capital to TRY46.6 million from TRY30.6
million.