TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev said here on Wednesday that Moscow and Tehran are considering the construction of new nuclear power plant blocks in Iran, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.

This photo taken on Nov. 27, 2023 shows a view of Tehran, capital of Iran. (Photo: Xinhua)

Tsivilev made the remarks at a joint press conference with Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad after a two-day meeting of the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, the IRNA reported.

Tsivilev said Russia is cooperating "seriously" with the Iranian government in the area of peaceful nuclear energy, adding that the two countries have many projects under implementation in different places.

"At present, the second and third blocks of (Iran's) Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant are under construction, in addition to which we are considering building new power plant blocks," he said.

He noted that the two countries have set up a working group to that end, which is expected to provide a summary of its discussions within three months.

For his part, Paknejad called for joint efforts to use the two countries' capacities to safeguard their national interests, describing the bilateral collaborations in the energy sector and development of oil and gas fields as significant.

He expressed hope that the two countries would soon finalize a contract on exporting Russia's natural gas to Iran to help address Iran's energy imbalance.

In September last year, Iran and Russia signed a 25-billion-U.S. dollar agreement to build four third-generation nuclear power units in the Sirik region of Iran's southern Hormozgan province, IRNA reported at the time.