Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant

{{Short description|Planned nuclear power plant in Darkhovin, Khuzestan, Iran}}

{{Infobox power station

|name = Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant

|image =

|image_caption = Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant

|country = Iran

|location = Darkhovin

|coordinates = {{coord|30|42|28|N|48|22|48|E|type:landmark_region:IR-10|display=inline,title}}

|owner = Nuclear Power Production & Development Co. of Iran

|operator = Nuclear Power Production & Development Co. of Iran

|construction_began = 2022

|commissioned =

|decommissioned =

|np_reactor_supplier =

|np_reactor_type =

|ps_units_decommissioned =

|ps_units_uc = 1 × 360 MW

|ps_units_planned = 1 × 360 MW

|ps_electrical_capacity =

|ps_annual_generation =

|status = Construction started

|ps_units_operational =

|cost =

|website =

}}

The Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant (also known as Esteghlal Nuclear Power Plant or Karoon) is a planned nuclear power plant located in Khuzestan province, Iran about 70 kilometers south of Ahvaz at the Karun river. Construction of one reactor has started. Some other projects on this site were cancelled. It's built by Masna.

History

Before the Iranian Revolution, Iran signed a 2 billion dollar contract with French company Framatome to build two 910 MW pressurized water reactors, at Darkhovin. After the Revolution, France withdrew from the project and the engineering components of the plant were withheld in France. The Iranian components were then used to build the units 5 and 6 of Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France, which went online in 1985.{{Cite web|url=https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/iran.aspx|title=Nuclear Power in Iran - World Nuclear Association|website=www.world-nuclear.org}}

Construction of the power station was halted during Iran–Iraq War. In 1992, Iran signed an agreement with China to build two 300 MW reactors at the site. They were to be completed within ten years, and would have been similar to Chashma Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan, which was built by China.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iran-e-sabz.org/news/nuc1b.htm|title=Green Party of Iran - News|website=www.iran-e-sabz.org}} Later, China withdrew from the project under United States pressure.{{Cite web |url=http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/1998/issue2/jv2n2a7.html |title=Chinese Arms Exports to Iran |access-date=2010-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229035814/http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/1998/issue2/jv2n2a7.html |archive-date=2012-02-29 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/esfahan-nuke.htm|title = Esfahan / Isfahan - Iran Special Weapons Facilities}}

The project was resumed by Iran, as no other country was ready to cooperate in its construction.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/162343/President-invites-intl-companies-to-participate-in-nuclear-plant|title=President invites intl. companies to participate in nuclear plant projects|date=January 30, 2008|website=Tehran Times}} Iran started to indigenously design the reactor for Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant, basing the design on the IR-40 reactor, using heavy water. The Iranian nuclear reactor design has a capacity of 360 MW. The plant was announced in 2008, originally scheduled to come online in 2016,{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-plant-idUSL0812863720080208|title=Iran starts second atomic power plant: report|newspaper=Reuters|date=February 8, 2008|via=www.reuters.com}} but construction has been delayed.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.prdeta.htm?country=IR&refno=9|title=Darkhovain on the PRIS of the IAEA}}

There is currently no public information on how many reactors the power station is planned to house. The plant is going to be Iran's first indigenously designed and built nuclear power plant besides the research reactor of IR-40.http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/352355/iran_press_official_provides_details_on_native_iranian_nuclear_plant/ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.iranwatch.org/our-publications/weapon-program-background-report/iran-nuclear-milestones-1967-2017|title=Iran Nuclear Milestones: 1967-2017 | Iran Watch|website=www.iranwatch.org}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ahwazstudies.org/content/view/2852/53/lang,english/ |title= NASATOTO ✈️ Link Bandar Togel Resmi Gampang Jackpot Hari Ini|website=www.ahwazstudies.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223075230/http://www.ahwazstudies.org/content/view/2852/53/lang%2Cenglish/ |archive-date=2012-02-23}} According to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy agency Abbas Salehi, Swiss-Swedish conglomerate ABB has been retained as a partner/external consultant in this project, but pulled out because of the international sanctions.{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IjUvXRmJw3A|title = Iran Construction 8 Nuclear Reactor Plants & water Desalination ایران ساخت راکتو و آب شیرین کن|website = YouTube}}

In May 2022, the deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that planning for the construction of an indigenous 360 MWe plant was in progress.{{cite news |url=https://www.neimagazine.com/news/newsiran-begins-procedures-to-build-indigenous-nuclear-reactor-9687300 |title=Iran begins procedures to build indigenous nuclear reactor |publisher=Nuclear Engineering International |date=11 May 2022 |access-date=19 January 2023}} In December 2022, Iranian state TV announced that construction of an indigenous 300 MW plant had started, expected to take eight years to build and cost about $1.5 to $2 billion.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-business-nuclear-2a4c2b77c02d29ebb51bd50c06698ba9 |title=Iranian state media: Construction begins on nuclear plant |publisher=Associated Press |date=4 December 2022 |access-date=19 January 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Iran-marks-start-of-work-for-Darkhovin-plant |title=Iran marks start of work for Darkhovin plant |publisher=World Nuclear News |date=6 January 2023 |access-date=19 January 2023}}

Reactor data

Plans for the site are not clear.

class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
style="width=21%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Reactor unit[http://www.iaea.org/programmes/a2/ Power Reactor Information System] from the IAEA: [http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.powrea.htm?country=IR&sort=&sortlong=Alphabetic „Iran, Islamic Republic of: Nuclear Power Reactors“] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604113531/http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.powrea.htm?country=IR&sort=&sortlong=Alphabetic \|date=2011-06-04 }} ! style="width=22%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Reactor type ! style="width=08%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Net capacity ! style="width=08%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Gross capacity ! style="width=10%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Construction started ! style="width=11%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Electricity Grid ! style="width=11%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Commercial Operation ! style="width=15%; background:#CFCFCF;"\| Shutdown
Darkhovin \| Pressurized Water Reactor \| align="right" \| 330 MW \| align="right" \| 360 MW \| align="right" \| 2008 [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-plant-idUSL0812863720080208 Iran starts second atomic power plant: report], Reuters, Feb 8, 2008. \| align="right" \| - \| align="right" \| - \| align="right" \| -
Estehlal-1 {{Cite web\|url=http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.prdeta.htm?country=IR&refno=3\|title=Estehlal 1 on the PRIS of the IAEA}} \| Pressurized Water Reactor \| align="right" \| 280 MW \| align="right" \| 300 MW \| align="center" colspan="4" \| Cancelled Plan
Estehlel-2 {{Cite web\|url=http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.prdeta.htm?country=IR&refno=4\|title=Estehlalr 2 on the PRIS of the IAEA}} \| Pressurized Water Reactor \| align="right" \| 280 MW \| align="right" \| 300 MW \| align="center" colspan="4" \| Cancelled Plan

class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"

style="width=21%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Reactor unit[http://www.iaea.org/programmes/a2/ Power Reactor Information System] from the IAEA: [http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.powrea.htm?country=IR&sort=&sortlong=Alphabetic „Iran, Islamic Republic of: Nuclear Power Reactors“] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604113531/http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.powrea.htm?country=IR&sort=&sortlong=Alphabetic |date=2011-06-04 }}

! style="width=22%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Reactor type

! style="width=08%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Net
capacity

! style="width=08%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Gross
capacity

! style="width=10%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Construction started

! style="width=11%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Electricity
Grid

! style="width=11%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Commercial
Operation

! style="width=15%; background:#CFCFCF;"| Shutdown

Darkhovin

| Pressurized Water Reactor

| align="right" | 330 MW

| align="right" | 360 MW

| align="right" | 2008 [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-plant-idUSL0812863720080208 Iran starts second atomic power plant: report], Reuters, Feb 8, 2008.

| align="right" | -

Estehlal-1 {{Cite web|url=http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.prdeta.htm?country=IR&refno=3|title=Estehlal 1 on the PRIS of the IAEA}}

| Pressurized Water Reactor

| align="right" | 280 MW

| align="right" | 300 MW

| align="center" colspan="4" | Cancelled Plan

Estehlel-2 {{Cite web|url=http://www.iaea.org/cgi-bin/db.page.pl/pris.prdeta.htm?country=IR&refno=4|title=Estehlalr 2 on the PRIS of the IAEA}}

| Pressurized Water Reactor

| align="right" | 280 MW

| align="right" | 300 MW

| align="center" colspan="4" | Cancelled Plan

In fiction

In the 1976 novel by Paul Erdman, Crash of '79, Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant is mentioned to have been completed by France. Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the then Shah of Iran, uses the plant with help from Israel and Switzerland to manufacture a dozen salted bombs.

References

External links

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL1d7777SAU Documentary: Nuclear confrontation with Iran]

Category:Nuclear power stations in Iran

Category:Nuclear program of Iran

Category:Nuclear power stations with reactors under construction

Category:Nuclear power stations with proposed reactors

Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant

History

Reactor data

In fiction

See also

References

External links