Iran’s Bushehr reactor reaches full capacity

The reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant is seen, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. Iran began loading fuel into the core of its first atomic power plant on Tuesday, moving closer to the start up of a facility that leaders have touted as defying of international efforts to curtail the country's nuclear ambitions. (AP Photo/Mehr News Agency, Majid Asgaripour)

A senior Iranian nuclear official says the sole reactor at the country’s Bushehr nuclear power plant has reached full capacity.

Iranian deputy nuclear chief Mohammad Ahmadian said Saturday the reactor was brought to its “full capacity of 1,000 megawatts” on Friday evening. The reactor went into operation for the first time last year at minimum capacity.

The Islamic Republic built the nuclear power plant in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr with Russian help.

The facility is a cornerstone of Iran’s drive to become a technological leader among Muslim nations, with efforts such as a space programme and long-range missile development.

The United States and some of its allies believe the Bushehr plant is part of an Iranian attempt to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusation.