Nuclear Sites
Farayand Technique
Farayand Technique
According to Iranian statements to the IAEA, Farayand Technique, an important subsidiary of Kalaye Electric, had a number of roles in Iran’s centrifuge enrichment program. The IAEA reports that it was initially intended as a site for centrifuge assembly, but that Iranian officials decided it was too far from Natanz. It has conducted quality control activities for centrifuge components, including rotors, manufactured for the facilities at Natanz It received balancing machines from Kalaye Electric.
Farayand is believed to be located in a valley near 7th of Tir Industries, likely in an industrial park. Prior to Iran’s suspension of centrifuge R&D, it had multiple responsibilities, including making and assembling parts of the centrifuge’s bottom bearing. This part of the centrifuge is designed to hold a thin pin with a ball at its end that is attached to the bottom of the rotor assembly. The ball fits inside a cup, which allows the rotor to spin rapidly with little friction. Farayand also performed quality testing on components manufactured in the Esfahan area and had facilities for assembling and testing centrifuges. IAEA inspectors suspected that this site could have been intended as a back-up to the Kalaye Electric facility.
The IAEA has conducted extensive environmental sampling at Farayand because it was a site related to centrifuge manufacturing, assembly, and testing. Environmental samples taken from the balancing machines indicated the presence of enriched uranium which was eventually determined to be the result of cross-contamination of components that originated in Pakistan. The current status of operations at Farayand is unknown, as IAEA inspectors had access to the site only while Iran was adhering voluntarily to the Additional Protocol and the suspension agreements.
site imagery
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Date: Nov 15, 2007
Photo Type: Satellite 
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