Following are excerpts from a TV program on Iran's National Day of Nuclear Technology, which aired on Channel 2, Iranian TV, on April 9, 2009.
Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh, head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran: The first step in the process of completing the nuclear fuel cycle is the discovery and extraction of uranium ore. Appropriate planning has been carried out in this field. The first stage of yellowcake production has begun in the region of Bandar Abbas, and with God's grace, according to the five-year plan, production will also begin in the Saghand region in Yazd.
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The second stage is the conversion of the yellowcake into various products. This project takes place within the framework of the activities of the uranium conversion facility – the UCF – in Esfahan. At present, this complex continues its activity, with a capacity of 280 tons of UF6, 11 tons of uranium oxide, and 10 tons of metallic uranium. With God's grace, according to the five-year plan, this capacity will reach close to 1,000 tons.
The third stage of the project is uranium enrichment. This huge and complex project has been fruitful in the Natanz region. By now, approximately 7,000 centrifuges have been installed, and in the course of the five-year plan, this figure will rise to 50,000. Let me use this occasion to inform you of this very important message: The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran researchers have entered a new stage in attaining technical knowledge regarding uranium enrichment.
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We have succeeded in manufacturing centrifuges with an SW [separative work units] of five or six.
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Today, April 9, is the National Day of Nuclear Technology. We are witnessing two important achievements in our country's nuclear industry. The first achievement is the packaging of the fuel, and its preparation for insertion into the reactors and for energy production. The second achievement is the testing of two new types of centrifuges, with a capacity that exceeds by far that of the existing centrifuges.
