Rosatom to Increase Its Russian Workforce at Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant From 25 to About 100 by Autumn

According to Oilprice.com, citing Russia's TASS news agency, on Monday, 10 August 2026 (19 Mordad 1405), Russia's Rosatom is ramping up its work on the expansion of Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant and plans to raise its Russian workforce at the site from 25 to around 100 by autumn. Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said five engineering and technical specialists have recently arrived at Bushehr, with several dozen more due over the next two weeks, working on the main and auxiliary buildings for Units 2 and 3.

Construction of Bushehr Units 2 and 3 was halted in March 2026 after US and Israeli strikes near the nuclear complex. According to the IAEA's reactor database, Unit 2 alone would add 974 MW of net capacity, roughly doubling Iran's current nuclear generation capacity. Bushehr currently provides Iran's only operating reactor, with 915 MW of net capacity. Likhachev said a return to previous staffing levels depends on a final US Iran agreement ending the war.