Iran to build five coastal nuclear plants, atomic chief says

Mohammad Eslami, vice president and head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told members of parliament on Monday that Tehran is advancing plans to construct nuclear power plants at five coastal locations under a comprehensive strategic document unveiled in 2022, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Eslami said the projects align with Tehran's 2022 strategic roadmap for the nuclear industry, which calls for new coastal facilities to expand the share of atomic energy in the national electricity mix. Speaking before parliament's energy and construction commissions, he emphasized that construction is proceeding according to plan despite mounting geopolitical pressures.

Bushehr milestones

The official highlighted operational milestones at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which recently surpassed 80 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity generation — a figure he said represents savings equivalent to 131 million barrels of crude oil or 21.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Eslami noted that the facility's second and third units are currently under construction as part of a $10 billion infrastructure investment, describing the expansion as among the country's largest development projects.

Bushehr, located on Iran's southern Gulf coast, remains the nation's only operating nuclear facility and supplies electricity to the national grid. The plant has continued operations despite the regional conflict that erupted in late February.

Regional tensions

Hostilities between Iran and Israel have intensified since late February when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian targets. Iranian media have reported that the Bushehr facility was targeted multiple times during the conflict, though authorities said the attacks did not disrupt electricity generation or plant operations.

Tensions escalated again on Sunday when Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles toward northern Israel while Israel carried out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian positions. Iran's military said early Monday it was halting attacks on Israel while warning of a "crushing" response should Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue, according to Israeli media reports citing unnamed officials who said Jerusalem agreed to pause airstrikes on Iran but would maintain its offensive in southern Lebanon.