Iran, China start cooperation on Arak facility

[Shotgunner51]

Iran, China start cooperation on Arak facility
7 October 2016 17:13 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran and China have started cooperation on the Arak heavy water facility, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said, IRNA reported on October 7.

Under the nuclear agreement, achieved between Iran and P5+1 (the US, the UK, France, China, Russia plus Germany) and implemented in January 2016, Iran removed the Arak reactor’s core and a new reactor with minimum plutonium production capacity will be installed there.

Iran also has sold the heavy water produced in Arak during the past years to foreign countries, including the US.

Takht-Ravanchi said cooperation on peaceful nuclear technology with some countries has already started, including the Iran-China cooperation on Arak facility.

Iran has filed a draft containing the entire negotiations with China on redesigning the Arak reactor, which were attended by other 5+1 members, and sent the draft to China for consideration, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrooz Kamalvandi said in July.

Kamalvandi said the works concerning the reactor’s redesign are progressing well and it can be said that a framework has been identified.

“We are now talking over what parts of the job could be carried out by China in cooperation with other members of the sextet [P5+1] and what parts can be done by us,” he said.

Kamalvandi added that the parts of the redesign, which should be carried out by Iran, are being done at a fast pace.


http://www.azernews.az/region/103401.html

 

[Rukarl]

The Reactor has been redesigned by Iran, but it would be sent to nations like China so they can verify its low plutonium output (compared to original reactor) and that it is a safe design etc. This will make it easier for Iran to build such reactors for others in the future. It's not a large reactor, but a good start.

 

[Shotgunner51]

The Reactor has been redesigned by Iran, but it would be sent to nations like China so they can verify its low plutonium output (compared to original reactor) and that it is a safe design etc. This will make it easier for Iran to build such reactors for others in the future. It's not a large reactor, but a good start.

Yes, I have been following this news since last year, see previous threads & posts on PDF:

https://defence.pk/threads/iran-chi...e-on-arak-heavy-water-reactor-rouhani.394891/
https://defence.pk/threads/iran-sig...actors-at-chabahar.394539/page-3#post-7587207​

Glad to see solid progress!

 

[Shotgunner51]

Iran, China Ink Contract to Redesign Arak Heavy Water Reactor
http://fna.ir/OB08X7 Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:34

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran signed a contract with China to use Beijing's consultative assistance to modernize the heavy water reactor near the Central city of Arak.

"The project to modernize Arak heavy water reactor is being implemented based on schedule and at the same time, a contract was negotiated for China's consultation services for redesigning (the reactor) and it was finalized and signed in Beijing on April 13 with due respect and attention to all considerations of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)," the Iranian foreign ministry said in its fifth three-month report on the process of the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.​

The report was submitted to the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on Saturday afternoon.

In relevant remarks in February 2016, AEOI Head Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Iranian engineers and Chinese counterparts are redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor.

"We are redesigning the Arak plant. Our Chinese partners have the blueprint too. We both shared our views two weeks ago in a meeting in Tehran," Salehi told reporters at the time.​

He said there have been no delays in implementing the project since it began a year ago (2015).

According to Salehi, the Arak heavy water reactor, whose core was taken out under the nuclear deal with the world powers, was designed and built by Iranian experts, they are still in charge, but decision was made to do it in partnership with China.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960127000790

Other sources on the news:
http://www.payvand.com/news/17/apr/1086.html
http://menafn.com/1095403795/Iran-China-to-ink-deal-on-Arak-reactors-modernization

 

[TaiShang]

China, Iran agree to redesign Arak heavy water reactor
Xinhua, April 24, 2017

China and Iran signed the first commercial contract to redesign Iran's Arak heavy water reactor in Vienna on Sunday.

The commercial contract signed between the two sides is seen as an important step towards modification of the Arak heavy water reactor.

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to redesign the reactor to minimize its plutonium production and avoid production of weapons-grade plutonium.

Redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor is a core aspect of the JCPOA on Iran's nuclear program.

The JCPOA was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany.

The P5+1 countries have created a working group led by China and the United States to work with Iran to redesign the reactor.

Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi told Xinhua the signing of the contract is important and Iran has very good cooperation with China. He said it's the example cooperation which the other sides should learn from.

 

[Shotgunner51]

China, Iran sign first contract for Arak redesign
24 April 2017

China and Iran have signed the first commercial contract for the reconstruction of Iran's Arak heavy water reactor. The core of the reactor was removed as part of an international agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The contract - signed in Vienna yesterday - is mainly related to the design concept of the transformation of the Arak reactor and some preliminary design-related consulting services. Under the contract, China National Nuclear Corporation will complete the design concept for the renovation of the Arak reactor within the next eight months.

The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said, "The first primary phase of the reactor's design has been accomplished by Iranian experts over the past year and, through signing this contract, the performed design will be reviewed, confirmed and adjusted to international nuclear safety standards by the Chinese side." It noted that Iranian experts have already started work on the detailed design of the reactor.​

According to Iranian news agency IRNA, copies of documents related to the design concept of the Arak reactor, which "are significant for the next phase of the reactor's redesigning", will now be delivered to the Chinese side. It noted that Iran and China have held several rounds of talks over the past year to discuss technical details about the contract. The contract, it said, is the first of a number of "more comprehensive contracts to be inked for completion and re-installation of the Arak reactor in the future".

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between Iran and the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the USA, plus the European Union) in July 2015, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment activities, eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and limit its stockpile of low enriched uranium over the next 15 years. In addition, Iran also agreed indefinitely not to build any new heavy water reactors or stockpile heavy water, and that the Arak reactor will be redesigned and all used fuel will be shipped out of the country.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-China-Iran-sign-first-contract-for-Arak-redesign-2404175.html