Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 30
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran could export electricity, technical and engineering services instead of oil, Iran's Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian said.
Chitchian said that electricity, technical and engineering exports can replace oil exports, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Dec. 30.
Currently, Iran exports over 12 billion kilowatts of electricity to its neighboring countries, he said, adding that the figure can be increased.
Iran is capable of building water treatment and power plants as well as large dams, so the country can boost its share of technical and engineering exports in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, he said.
Iran can increase technical and engineering exports to $10 billion annually, he noted.
Iran exported some $600 million of technical and engineering services in the first eight months of the current fiscal year (March 21-November 21).
The country's deputy energy minister Esmaeil Mahsouli said 30 Iranian companies are implementing 88 projects, valued at $4.357 billion, in 17 countries.
Sohrab Salimi, an official with the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) said in July that Iran's annual technical and engineering exports are projected to hit $7.6 billion in the current Iranian calendar year.