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Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian inaugurated two units of Darian Power Plant near the city of Paveh in the western Kermanshah Province on Thursday.
According to ISNA. the two units of the hydropower plant. which have a combined power generation capacity of 140 megawatts. are planned to be linked to the national electricity grid after a month of trial operation.
Darian Power Plant. which has been constructed with over $56 million in investment over Darian Dam. has three 70 MW units that can produce at full capacity once it becomes fully operational.
The construction operations of Darian dam and power plant started about nine years ago. which has cost a total of $352 million so far. The dam can control 1.378 million cubic meters of water per annum.
Referring to Iran’s power production capacity of 80.000 MW. Ardakanian said the country plans to raise hydropower capacity.
“Darian Power Plant not only increases Iran’s total capacity for clean electricity generation. but it also helps preserve the environment.“ he said.
The Energy Ministry’s projections show that hydropower plants’ electricity output will not exceed 6.000 MW this summer. This is while the figure stood at 9.300 MW last summer.
The power generation reduction. coupled with the normal rise in consumption. will result in about 4.000 MW of electricity shortage during the current year’s peak consumption hours.
This is while Farbod Estiri. a deputy at Iran Water Resources Management Company. told the Energy Ministry`s news portal in November that despite facing low levels of rainfall and hot temperatures. Iran has managed to extract 10% more electrical power from its hydroelectric dams since March 2017 compared to the same spell of previous year.
According to Estiri. the lion`s share of Iran`s hydroelectric capacity of about 12.000 MW is installed on Karun River that runs through southwest Iran.
Ardakanian stressed that in the dam and power plant. which were difficult to build by local experts because of natural and technical obstacles. most equipment. including generators and turbines. were produced domestically.
`The project. which has generated a large number of jobs in the area. is hoped to develop agriculture and industries. and supply potable water to residents.` he said. The official also visited the project site for supplying drinking water to Paveh and said a major part of the mega plan has been implemented and that it only needs financial resources to complete the project.
“I will inaugurate the water supply project during my next trip to Paveh in the current fiscal year (started March 21).“ Ardakanian said. without mentioning the exact date for launching the plan.
