Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad says his government is in talks with Russia about building additional nuclear power reactors.
Iran's Bushehr power plant was completed by the Russian company Atomstroyexport at a cost of $1 billion and was commissioned earlier this month.
Speaking in New York where he attended the UN General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said Iran needs an additional 19,000 megawatts of energy beyond the 1,000 now coming from Bushehr.
Ahmadinejad said Iran's relations with Russia were as a neighbor, "and neighbors must be friends with one another."
"But it is only a general proposal," he said. "And from here today I want to officially invite other firms and other entities to come and bid and propose their participation for building these power plants."
compiled from agency reports