Iran Begins Construction Of New Nuclear Power Plant

Iran has begun the construction of a new nuclear plant in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, the country's atomic energy agency said Saturday.

Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, announced in televised remarks the start of construction of the 300-megawatt Karun power plant in the Darkhovin district of Khuzestan.

Construction of the plant will take seven years and is expected to cost between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, he added on state television.