Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 8
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran seeks to use Spain's experience in water management and renewable energy projects.
Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian made the statement in a meeting with Spanish Minister of Industry, Energy, and Tourism José Manuel Soria López in Tehran.
Spanish companies have acquired great experiences in water management and related technologies, as well as in renewable energy technologies, Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Chitchian as saying Sept. 8.
The Spanish side has announced preparedness to support cooperation between Iranian and Spanish companies, he noted.
López, for his part, said that there are significant capacities for boosting cooperation between the two countries' governments and companies. Spain had not left Iran alone during sanctions, he said, adding that his country is ready to transfer technology to Iran for managing water resources and dealing with drought.
The Islamic Republic is located in an arid zone and the country faces a serious water shortage crisis. However, many experts believe that the current water shortage problem is a result of water resources mismanagement, rather than the drought.
Sattar Mahmoudi, the Islamic Republic's deputy minister of energy has said that recovering the used groundwater reserves in Iran is impossible.
Alongside with the consumption beyond the reserves' capacity, the average annual rainfall in the country also has negatively affected the aquifers, he added.