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Iran ‘to hit 1GW of renewable energy capacity in eight months time’
Start-up for Iran’s first geothermal power plant approaching says official
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.
Iran's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) predicts the country will hit one gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) of renewable energy capacity by August 2021, Mehr News Agency reported on December 9.
Iran’s government and private companies have ploughed considerable investment into a range of small, medium and large solar field arrays and wind generation, which the country lends itself to due to its climate and topography. Mohammad Satakin, director of SATBA, reportedly said the organisation has signed 36 contracts with private companies for the guaranteed purchase of 438MW of capacity from 159 solar and wind power plants.
He added that some $3.2bn (at the official Iranian rial exchange rate) has been invested by local and foreign private sector firms in the development of power plants in the country, leading to the production of more than 5.470bn kilowatt-hours of electricity.
The current share of solar and wind power plants has been 48% and 36% , respectively, other types of renewable power plants include biomass and small hydropower plants.
“Currently 54 companies are building renewable power plants with a total capacity of about 230 MW, including solar, wind and hydro, across the country,” Satakin said.
He noted that companies were set to construct 28 renewable power plants by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2021).
Iran is aiming for a 5,000 MW increase in renewable capacity to meet growing domestic power demand and expand its presence in the regional electricity market.
Iran's first geothermal power plant will go into operation before the end of the present 2020/2021 Persian calendar year (March 20), according to Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Haeri.
First-phase primary electricity generation capacity of the $40.4mn plant would be five megawatts (MW), he said, adding that there were plans for further phases to gradually take that up to 50 MW.
Thermal Power Plants Holding (TPPH) is working on the plant in Meshkin Shahr county in the northwestern Ardebil province. The power plant will be located at the foot of Mount Sabalan, almost 85 kilometres northwest of Ardebil, and will feed electricity into the local grid.
ILNA reported Haeri as saying the project was 71% complete and that “technical knowledge in the design, construction and commissioning of geothermal power plants... has become indigenous”.
The first phase of the plant development will attribute a 5 MW turbine, while a total of 50 MW is the goal of later phases.
9.1.14 Utilities sector news
Iran and Azerbaijan agree to finish hydropower
Iran and Azerbaijan are backing the continuation of the construction of the Giz Galasy and Khudaferin (Khoda Afarin) dams and hydropower plants on the border river of Aras, the neighbouring countries have
54 IRAN Country Report March 2021 www.intellinews.com