Iran about to Unveil Homegrown Type of Nuclear Fuel Rod

Iran has managed to develop a new type of fuel for Tehran Research Reactor, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced, hailing it as a great progress for the country in its efforts to develop domestic nuclear reactors.

Speaking to IRIB News on Sunday, Ali Akbar Salehi said the new type of fuel, which will be unveiled soon, would boost productivity of the reactor.

“We have made such a great progress in the nuclear science that we can develop new types of fuel, instead of reverse engineering and using the design of others,” he said.

Salehi said the design of the new type of nuclear fuel was a major challenge in developing reactors, which means Iran has overcome technical hurdles and is now closer to building its own reactors.

For a brief review of Iran’s achievements in various fields of science and technology, check the book “Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review”

The TRR is a light-water reactor developed by the US and given to Iran in 1967, along with weapon-grade uranium fuel.

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was unable to supply the required fuel from abroad, so the reactor was modified to use fuel enriched below 20%, which could be bought from Argentina.

In 2012, Iran announced that for the first time it was loading domestically made rods into the reactor, after foreign producers refused to sell it to Tehran.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.