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Iran to launch wind farm on border with Afghanistan
Iran’s renewable power plants ‘reach 860 MW in capacity’
The Head of Iran's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organisation (SATBA), Mohammad Satakin, has announced the inauguration of a huge wind farm project on the border of Iran and Afghanistan.
The 25-MWe wind project will be put into operation by the end of March and a further 25 MWe is scheduled to be launched in early 2022.
The construction of this 50-MWe power plant has resulted in development of the region’s infrastructure, including road construction, the construction of high-voltage electricity lines and substations, as well as telecommunication and internet infrastructure, Satakin said.
Noting the readiness of new investors to participate in wind projects in the region, he said: "In addition to this project, another 50-MWe wind farm project is under construction using 4.2 MW turbines, part of which will be completed by the end of this year and the other part will be constructed in early next year.” According to Satakin, with 30,000 MWe potential of wind power capacity, the Iran-Afghanistan border area is one of the world’s most windy regions. “About 25,000 MWe of the capacity is in the Afghanistan territory, while the other 5,000 MWe is on the Iranian side,” he explained.
In November 2020, Satakin had said that over 30 MWe would be added to Iran’s wind power capacity, 60% of which would be supplied by the wind farm on the Iran-Afghanistan border. Iran and Afghanistan started considering joint co-operation in renewable projects in August 2019.
The capacity of Iran’s renewable power plants reached 859.17 megawatts (MW) in the 10th Iranian calendar month (December 21, 2020-January 19, 2021), official news agency IRNA has reported.
Iranian renewable power plants reportedly managed to produce 5.738bn kilowatt-hours (Kwh) of electricity in the Persian month, 50% (426.17 MW) of which was attributed to solar power plants. Wind power plants accounted for 35% (303.18 MW), followed by hydropower plants at 12% (105.65 MW).
In December, Mohammad Satakin, who heads Iran's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA), said the capacity of the country’s renewable power plants was set to reach 1,000 MW (one gigawatt) by the end of the current government’s incumbency in August.
Within the next five years, Iran intends to secure 5,000 MW more in renewable capacity to meet growing domestic demand and expand the Iranian presence on the regional electricity market.
9.1.13 Utilities sector news
Iran’s energy ministry announces desalination projects amid Khuzestan drought protests
Work is under way to build two desalination plants in Iran’s drought-stricken Khuzestan province on the Persian Gulf, IRNA reported the country’s energy ministry as saying on July 27.
The southwestern province has been the scene of nearly two weeks of street protests over water shortages amid the most prolonged drought it has suffered in more than 50 years. Several people have been killed in the unrest. Water supplies to farms, households and industry have been cut, with reservoir levels in the region perilously low. Demonstrations have rocked cities including majority Iranian Arab Ahvaz, with locals lamenting the lack of attention given to their woes by the government in Tehran 800 kilometres to the north.
The energy ministry said the two desalination systems, to be built in Choobdeh and Arvand, would have a water production capacity of 6,000 cubic metres per day. Three other desalination systems, in Abadan, Khorramshahr and Hindijan, with a water production capacity of 32,500 cubic metres, were currently in use,
54 IRAN Country Report August 2021 www.intellinews.com