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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran puts off Bushehr plant launch to early 2011
2010-09-30
IranÂ’s first nuclear power plant will begin supplying energy in early 2011, a senior official said, signalling a delay of several months.
Boy howdy that's a shame ...
The delay was caused by the spread of a global computer virus believed to have affected mainly Iran.
Operation Lemony Snickett lives!
Iranian officials said on Sunday the Stuxnet virus had hit staff computers at the Bushehr plant, a symbol of IranÂ’s growing geopolitical sway and rejection of international efforts to curb its nuclear activity, but not affected major systems there.

When Iran began loading fuel into Bushehr in August, officials said it would take two to three months for the plant to start producing electricity and that it would generate 1,000 megawatts, about 2.5 percent of the countryÂ’s power usage.

“We hope that the fuel will be transferred to the core of the Bushehr nuclear power plant next week and before the second half of the Iranian month of Mehr (Oct. 7),” Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, was quoted on Wednesday as saying by the semi-official news agency ISNA.

“The ground is being prepared in this regard and, God willing, the fuel will be loaded to the core of the reactor completely by early November and the heart of Bushehr power plant will start beating by then.”
It's that 'God willing' part that gives all technically-minded people the heebee-jeebies ...
Salehi added: “Two to three months after that electricity will be added to the networks.”This would mean Bushehr generating electricity from January or February.

Security experts say the Stuxnet computer worm may have been a state-sponsored attack on IranÂ’s nuclear programme and have originated in the United States or Israel, the Islamic RepublicÂ’s arch-adversaries. Little information is available on how much damage, if any, IranÂ’s nuclear and wider infrastructure has suffered from Stuxnet and Tehran will probably never disclose full details.

Some analysts believe Iran may be suffering wider sabotage aimed at slowing its nuclear advances, pointing to a series of unexplained technical glitches that have cut the number of working centrifuge machines at the Natanz enrichment plant.
Posted by:Steve White

#2  Speaking of the heebee-jeebies...once side effect of Stuxnet will be the uncertainty. Anytime in the future when an industrial controller spazzes out or system spontaneously reboots the fear will start again. Bad capacitor, fluctuatings mains or Son of Stuxnet all over again?

And as a side note, if I was planning to bomb the crap out of somewhere, the ability to shut down the water, electricity and telecoms wouldn't be a bad thing, just for the distraction of it all.
Posted by: SteveS   2010-09-30 16:53  

#1  So... any action on Iran takes place after the election.... hmm....
Posted by: Water Modem   2010-09-30 00:36  

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