Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 25
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
The UK's Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has told Trend that it didn't sign any deal with Iran.
Earlier, Mehr news agency reported that Iran's Power Generation and Transmission Company (TAVANIR) and the SSTL signed a contract to build a solar power plant in the Islamic Republic.
Farhad Shabihi, an official with TAVANIR, said that under a $1 million contract, the SSTL is committed to design, construct and launch a 50-megawatt (MW) solar power plant.
Meanwhile, Joelle Sykes, communications manager at SSTL, told Trend on Jan. 25 that the SSTL is an aerospace company and has no connection to solar power management or supply, adding the company hasn't signed any agreement in Iran.
Earlier, speaking on the SSTL agreement, Shabihi said it is the first time that a UK company is going to build a solar power plant in Iran, adding that the SSTL is expected to complete the project by September.
However, Shabihi didn't provide further details about the location of the power plant.
He said TAVANIR considers several more projects to construct more solar power plants in the provinces of Hamedan, Lorestan and Markazi.
Shabihi also said that generating 100 MW power in solar power plants enables the country to save 100 liters of liquid fuel per year.
Earlier in 2015 and before the removal of international sanctions against Iran, the country's ministry of energy announced plans to attract European investors to contribute to the development of Iran's renewable energy sector.
Iran's power generation capacity currently stands at around 74,000 MW, of that some 12,000 MW is generated by hydroelectric power plants, 1,000 MW by a nuclear power plant in Bushehr City, and the remaining is produced by thermal power plants.
According to a latest annual report, Iran's capacity to produce renewable energy stands at 232 megawatts, 0.31 percent of the country's total power generation capacity.
Iranians consumed about 219 billion kilowatt hour of power between March 2014 and March 2015.