Amir Doudabinejad. an official at Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPHC). told FNA that a natural gas power plant is ready to go online in Haris county of East Azerbaijan province. adding that President Rouhani will participate in the inauguration ceremony.
He added that 67 percent of the thermal power plants in Iran are owned and run by private-sector companies. recounting that state share will even further decrease to 16 percent after the under-construction plants with 11.000 megawatts capacity go online.
The capacity of the private power plants is two times more than the state-run plants. Doudabinejad highlighted. adding that currently the government is constructing power stations with a total capacity of 6.000 megawatts. while the private sector is working on 13.000 megawatts of new stations.
For now Haris power plant will have a 40 percent efficiency with its gas-fired cycle. he said. adding that the power plant will have another 180 megawatts of capacity in its combined cycle and a 58 percent overall efficiency with the steam cycle operationalized.
Doudabinejad reassured that the steam cycle of the station will go online before the high-consumption season of the next summer.
Back in early February. Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said that the power generation of the country has increased by 11.4 times since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Ardakanian said that Iran has moved up 24 ranks in terms of generation of electricity in the past forty years.
According to statistics. Iran’s rank of power generation in the world promoted from 38 to 14 and presently. the Ministry of Energy is exchanging electricity with its neighbors.
He made the remarks on February 02 in a press briefing held at the venue of the Ministry of Energy where evaluated the performance of his ministry in the past forty years and added.
With coordination made in this regard. a contract will be inked between Iran and Iraq for exporting electricity from the Islamic Republic of Iran to this neighboring country in a three-year plan. added the Iranian official.
This level of cooperation will include the construction of a power plant. modernization of power plants and reduction of power grid losses in Iraq as well. he maintained.
He drew a comparison between performance of the Ministry of Energy before and after the Islamic Revolution and said. The power capacity installed hit from 7.000 megawatts electricity in early years of the Islamic Revolution to 80.000 megawatts. showing a considerable 11.4 fold hike.
Currently. suitable power generation capacity has been paved for the private sector companies working in the field of power industry. he said and emphasized that the number of power generation companies in the country hit from 65 in early years of the Islamic Revolution to 875. showing a significant increase.
Ardakanian reiterated that giant steps have presently been taken in the sector of electricity generation in the country which is incomparable to the early years of the Islamic Revolution.
Iran is currently supplying Iraq. Afghanistan and Pakistan with electricity. CEO of Tavanir Company Mohammad Hassan Motavallizadeh said on January 04. adding that the country is poised to double the volume of its power export to neighboring countries.