Tasnim � Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said the country has resumed its negotiations with Russia on the construction of a new nuclear power plant with a capacity to produce 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

In remarks released on Saturday, Ardakanian pointed to his ministry�s plans to increase the country�s capacity to generate nuclear electricity and said Tehran is in talks with Moscow to build a new nuclear power plant with a production capacity of 3,000MW.

With the inauguration of the power plant the capacity to produce nuclear electricity will rise from 1,000MW to 4,000MW, he added.

Back in September 2016, Iran and Russia started the construction of the second unit of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

The second unit is expected to take 9 years to complete (October 2024). Building a third unit will also begin 18 months later after that (April 2026).

A total of $10 billion has been allocated for the construction of the two units.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Tehran back in February, Ardakanian highlighted the country�s self-sufficiency in the area of power generation and said the Islamic Republic is the top producer of electricity in the Middle East.

About 90 percent of power generation equipment, even complicated parts like turbines and generators, are currently manufactured inside the country, the energy minister said at the time.