The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has announced that the construction of a new nuclear power plant has begun in Iran’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.

According to The Iran Project,Mohammad Eslami made the announcement on Thursday during a second visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and his administration officials to the Hormozgan province on Thursday when President Raeisi ordered Eslami via video-conferencing to start construction of new nuclear plant in Hormozgan.

Construction work on the new nuclear power plant named “Iran-Hormoz” has gotten underway in Sirik city, the nuclear chief said.

Designed to have an electricity generation capacity of 5,000 megawatts, the power plant is part of broader plans to develop the Makran coastal region, he added.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has set a long-term target of generating 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity in the country.