国际英语新闻：Iran seeks to conduct nuclear fusion research: AEOI

TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran said it seeks to conduct nuclear fusion research in an effort to set foot in the alternative energy, Iranian local satellite channel Press TV reported on Saturday.

Iran has launched serious "fusion research today," Press TV quoted Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali- Akbar Salehi as saying.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the National Nuclear Fusion Program at the AEOI headquarters in Tehran on Saturday, Salehi also said that some 50 scientists in relevant fields have been employed to work on the construction of Iran's first nuclear fusion reactor.

"It takes 20 to 30 years before this process can be commercialized but we have to use all the capacity in the country to provide the necessary speed for fusion research," Press TV quoted Salehi as saying.

Iran has set an initial budget of 80 billion rials (about 7.65 million U.S. dollars) for the project, and the budget will be adjusted based on the scope of the scientific studies to be carried out in the future, he said.

Salehi also stated that Iran is ready to begin cooperation with any country or international organization to complete its experimental studies, adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency could be a good source for cooperation.

Nuclear fusion is the process by which some light atomic particles, such as hydrogen isotopes, merge to form a heavier atom with the release of significant amount of energy.

Harnessing the energy yield of large-scale fusions could help reduce the global electricity needs and entail less atomic waste which occurs with the fission of nuclear materials like plutonium and uranium, Press TV reported.

Salehi had previously said that the execution of Iran's nuclear fusion plans could enable the country to generate electricity in this manner within the next two decades.