Page 70 - IRANRptSep22

Iran’s annual exports of building materials to Russia are running at around $3bn and the intention is to boost that figure to at least $5bn in the not-too-distant future, Safari said.
One focus in growing trade with Russia is Mazandaran Province on the Caspian coast. There are three large seaports in the province, namely Amirabad, Nowshahr and Feridunkenar.
Currently, the main flows of Iranian exports to littoral states of the Caspian Sea run from these ports. Building materials, rolled metal products and food products such as milk, poultry, rice, honey and spices are shipped from these export departure points.
Iranian authorities have long promised to turn Mazandaran into an international export hub serving the North-South transport corridor. However, as Safari lamented, the capacities of Iranian ports on the Caspian coast are only 25%-utilised and there is a lack of ships for moving goods.
In the next four years, Iran hopes to increase its Caspian Sea merchant fleet by around 50 ships. At least 13 of the vessels may be purchased from Russia.
9.1.11 Renewable energy sector news
Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant said to limit power generation as Gulf waters become too hot for cooling
Iran has potential for one million household solar plants says manufacturers’ association
Iran’s only nuclear power plant, Bushehr, has reportedly limited its power generation as the seawater in the Persian Gulf has become too warm to cool its reactors.
Mohammad Eslami, director of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), said in an interview with a local news agency reported by Bloomberg on August 31 that Gulf water temperatures have exceeded 35 degrees Celsius (95 F) this summer. The average annual temperature of the seawater in the Gulf is around 26 degrees Celsius (79 F). Iran has endured a torrid summer of heatwaves, with matters exacerbated by deadly flooding. In June, the country endured one of the hottest days on earth ever recorded since records began. The temperature reached 26 degrees Celsius (79 F) in Abadan, southwestern Iran.
Iran’s issues with nuclear power generation at Bushehr—built with expertise provided by Russia and commissioned in 2011—are similar to difficulties experienced by France this year. In France, utility giant EDF announced early this summer that nuclear power generation would be reduced because of high temperatures affecting the rivers Rhone and Garonne that were making their waters too hot to cool reactors.
OilPrice.com reported how in August French authorities allowed five nuclear power plants to continue operations and discharge hot water into rivers during a heatwave as the country sought to keep its nuclear electricity generation stable and conserve natural gas for the coming winter.
Iran has the potential to establish one million household solar power plants with an electricity generation capacity of 5,000 megawatts, according to the Association of Iranian Manufacturers and Suppliers of Renewable Energy Products and Services (Satka).
Small-scale solar power plants used by households or small industry are increasingly noticeable, according to the association. The solar power sector got a boost in late July when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated the country’s biggest solar panel production unit, it also noted. Located in central Markazi Province, the plant has the capacity to produce solar panels with a total capacity of 500MW annually. After further development, that capacity will increase to 1,500 MW.
Iran’s biggest solar farm yet, with a 100-MW capacity, is to be established near
70 IRAN Country Report September 2022 www.intellinews.com