Posted on 08/26/2006 1:37:37 PM PDT by HAL9000
[Male announcer] As you might have heard, Arak's Heavy Water Facility was inaugurated by President Ahmadinezhad earlier today. This is one of the major nuclear projects. We have established live video link with our colleague Ms Mehrafar in Arak. Hello Ms Mehrafar.[Mehrafar] In the name of God, the merciful and the compassionate. Hello to our dear viewers. As you indicated, President Ahmadinezhad and Mr [Reza] Aqazadeh, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), inaugurated Arak's complex. We have with us the AEOI's Deputy for international affairs Mohammad Sa'idi. Mr Sa'idi, would you please tell our viewers about the complex?
[Sa'idi] In the name of God, the merciful and the compassionate. Arak's Heavy Water Facility was inaugurated today. It is now fully operational. The work on the complex had started in 1377 [1998]. The construction of the complex ended a year and half ago. This is a hi-tech project involving complicated technology. Therefore, we needed to conduct all the necessary tests during the operational phase in order to ensure that we had the ability to produce pure heavy water. It took almost 16 months before making the complex fully operational. It is now fully operational, thank God. We are now producing heavy water with 99.8 per cent purity. This project is very important, because we are moving in two directions in our nuclear technology. First involves enrichment and light water reactors which work with 3.5 to 5 per cent fuel. And second involves the production of heavy water power reactors to produce electricity, and heavy water research reactors to produce various isotopes to be used in medicine, agriculture, industries and nuclear fields. I must congratulate our dear nation which through its patience has brought to fruition another of the country's nuclear projects. Our dear youths and valuable experts must be proud of themselves for bringing to fruition another of the county's technological activities.
[Mehrafar] Are we now self sufficient in producing heavy water? Are we among a handful of countries which have achieved this?
[Sa'idi] Yes. I can say with utmost certainty that we have achieved self suffiency in the production of heavy water. No foreign expertise has been involved in this plant which was inaugurated today by the president. As you know, the construction of industrial plants usually needs foreign assistance, meaning that the blueprints must be obtained from foreign sources. Fortunately, this complex is unique. We can develop this technology in our country. We are among the nine countries in the world which possess this industrial facility.
[Mehrafar] Thank you for your comments. During his speech, Mr Ahmadinezhad congratulated all the scientists who have been involved in this project. President said that he had asked Mr Aqazadeh to allow all journalists, scientists and students to visit these sites so the world would realize that all our activities are peaceful.
Source: Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Tehran, in Persian 1014 gmt 26 Aug 06
Cha Ching!!!
Baloney is on the menu this week again.
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