The Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran was temporarily closed after a "technical problem".
This was announced overnight by the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization.
"Following a technical failure at the Bushehr plant, the site was temporarily shut down and disconnected from the national electricity grid", writes the operator without specifying the nature of the problem.
The Bushehr plant "will resume operations in the next few days, as soon as the technical problem is resolved," the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said in a statement.
The power plant is located 17 kilometers south-east of Bushehr, the capital of the Iranian province of the same name on the shores of the Persian Gulf. Built by Russia, it went into operation in 2011 and reached its maximum production capacity of 1,000 Megawatts the following year. In 2014, Moscow signed another contract with Iran to build a second and third reactor, which are expected to come into operation in 2024 and 2026 respectively.
In recent weeks, Iran has been hit by several blackouts. Yesterday, the national electricity company called on Iranians to save energy during peak hours, due to the high temperatures of these days and ongoing renovations at the plant.
Last April the province of Bushehr was hit by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that injured five people, but "no damage" to the plant, according to the authorities.
