TEHRAN, September 22. /TASS/. Iran and Russia will sign an agreement in the coming days on the construction of new nuclear power units in the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Eslami, the vice president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, announced.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation will sign an agreement on the construction of new nuclear power units in the coming days. The intergovernmental agreement between the two countries stipulated that Russia would build eight nuclear power units, four of which would be in Bushehr," the IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

According to Eslami, preparations for the implementation of the second part of the bilateral agreement have been completed. In particular, a site for the construction of the new power units has been selected and equipped with all necessary equipment.

"Earlier, construction sites allocated for the new power units were inspected, contract negotiations were held, and with the signing of the agreement this week, a step will automatically be taken toward the start of design, engineering, and other work," he added.

Construction of the nuclear power plant near the city of Bushehr in southern Iran began in 1975 by a West German concern, but was interrupted in 1979 following the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution. In 1992, Russia and Iran signed an agreement to continue construction. In September 2011, the first power unit was connected to the grid, and its handover to Iran took place in September 2013. In November 2014, a contract was signed for the construction of the second and third power units, each with VVER-1000 reactors. Construction of the second one began in September 2016, the third one in November 2019, and they are planned to be put into operation in 2025 and 2027, respectively.