Rosatom to increase workforce at Bushehr nuclear plant to 300

TEHRAN – Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to increase its workforce at Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant from the current 180 employees to 300 in the near future, as it moves to resume previously scheduled operations despite ongoing regional tensions. Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev announced the plan on Friday, according to Russia’s TASS news agency, saying the company saw no significant risks that would impede the pace of its work at the facility.

“The headcount is growing at present: 180 people are already on the site; we plan to increase it to 300 in the near future,” Likhachev said. He acknowledged that the regional situation remained tense but said Rosatom was seeking to restore its operations to the planned pace and reach its target workforce level over the coming year. On October 28, Likhachev said the corporation aimed to increase the number of Russian personnel in Iran to 700.

Rosatom had previously evacuated hundreds of its employees from the country on security grounds following US-Israeli aggression against Iran. In November 2025, Likhachev told Russia’s Channel One that Rosatom planned to construct two additional nuclear power units, each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, alongside the existing unit at the Bushehr plant. He also said construction was progressing. Meanwhile, on September 24, 2025, Iran and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the construction of small nuclear power plants in Iran.

The agreement was concluded following a meeting in Moscow between Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), and Likhachev. Two days later, on September 26, an implementation agreement worth $25 billion was signed for the construction of four advanced third-generation nuclear power units in Sirik, Hormozgan Province. The agreement was concluded between Iran Hormoz Company and a Rosatom project company.