Head of the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi underlined the need for the country to shift to new energy resources, and said that nuclear power plants can help reduce Iran’s dependence on oil.

“For instance, Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant can produce energy equal to 11 million barrels of oil which can help save energy and exploration activities,” Salehi said.

He noted that Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant produces 7 billion kilowatts of electricity, and said, “If we base the plant’s performance on the exported electricity rate or reserved oil, it can save as many as 11 million barrels of oil.”

The Russian-built 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Southern Iran, started operating in 2011 and reached its full capacity the following year.

In 2014, Russia signed a cooperation contract with Iran to help build the second and third Bushehr reactors, which are scheduled for launch in 2024 and 2026, respectively.

Iran says it restarted talks with Russia to build a 3,000-megawatt new nuclear power plant.