Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Spokesman Says Iran, Russia Prepare Protocol For Small Modular Reactors
“Referring to the US-Israeli attacks on the Darkhovin power plant while it was under construction,”
“Environmental challenges have also heightened international interest in nuclear energy, he said,”
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Iran and Russia finalize protocol to accelerate joint construction of small modular reactors. AEOI spokesman Kamalvandi says progress and near-signing protocol to accelerate SMR cooperation.
Protocol for SMRs
Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, said Iran is completing preparations for a protocol with Russia to accelerate the development and joint construction of standardized small modular nuclear reactors. Kamalvandi said the cooperation aims to expand work in a technology that is drawing increasing international interest to provide low-emission electricity, and he described small reactors as allowing the fabrication of repeated units and the deployment of more than one reactor to meet needs. Kamalvandi said Iran’s nuclear industry has reached maturity, pointing to local capabilities in building plants, the fuel cycle, and nuclear safety, and he added that political pressure delayed some projects but did not halt nuclear activities.
The reports said the protocol remains in the preparation phase for signing, and they said the new announcement preceded a memorandum of understanding signed in September 2025 between Moscow and Tehran on building small nuclear reactors in Iran. The reports also said the cooperation between the two countries extends to the Bushehr plant, which was built by Russia and whose working unit capacity is about 1 gigawatt.
Numbers and conference
Kamalvandi told IRIB that Iran is in the process of signing a protocol with Russia aimed at accelerating cooperation on the joint construction of SMRs. Kamalvandi said global electricity demand was rising rapidly, driven in part by advances in artificial intelligence, digital technologies and the electrification of transport, and he argued those developments were making the expansion of nuclear power an increasingly important consideration. Kamalvandi said the world currently generates around 400,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity, while Iran accounts for approximately 1,000 megawatts, and he added that announced plans to triple global nuclear power capacity would require the construction of around 1,200 power plants comparable in size to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran.
Kamalvandi said he made the remarks while discussing Iran’s participation in the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in South Korea, and the reports said the conference opened in Incheon on October 27 and runs for three days with about 800 participants from 60 countries. The reports said Kamalvandi linked nuclear energy to stable, continuous electricity supply and contrasted it with wind and solar generation whose output fluctuates with weather conditions and the availability of sunlight and wind.
Self-sufficiency and claims
Kamalvandi said Iran has made good progress with the reactors and told reporters, “We are in the process of signing a protocol with the Russian side to accelerate the joint construction of this type of reactor.” Kamalvandi said the SMRs “can be replicated and mass-produced,” and he argued that the deployment of small modular reactors can help satisfy energy needs while producing as little pollution as possible. Kamalvandi said the Bushehr nuclear power plant has so far prevented the release of approximately 86 million tons of pollutants and saved 132 million barrels of oil, and he used those figures to support the case for clean energy worldwide.
“We are in the process of signing a protocol with the Russian side to accelerate the joint construction of this type of reactor.”
Kamalvandi said Iran’s nuclear industry “has reached full maturity, and we have now achieved self-sufficiency in the construction of nuclear power plants,” and he added that his workforce has outstanding capabilities. Kamalvandi said, “Enemies are attempting to hinder the fruition of plans and projects that are considered symbols of Iran's progress,” while he also said Iran’s nuclear activities would continue despite political pressures and imposed obstacles.