Iran to boost electricity output capacity by 6,000 MW

Azerbaijan, Baku, May.10/ Trend R.Zamanov /

Iran plans to convert 12 thermal power plants to combined cycle plants, Iranian energy minister Majid Namjour said on Friday.

The move will boost the country's electricity production capacity by 6,000 megawatts, the IRNA News Agency quoted Majid Namjour as saying.

Half of the mentioned plants are owned by the private sector, he added.

Deputy energy minister Mohammad Behzad said last month that Iran has constructed power plants twice as many as the average number of power plants which have been constructed in the world during the past decade.

The power generation capacity in Iran has grown by 7 percent annually for the last 10 years. The figure has averaged 3.5 percent in the world.

Iran currently trades power with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq.

In an effort to diversify its destination markets, Iran plans to export electricity to Europe and Africa.

Managing director of Iranian power generation transmission and distribution management company (TAVANIR), Homayoun Haeri, announced on December 15 that Iran currently trades 12.3 gigawatt hours of electricity with neighboring countries.

Iran plans to boost its electricity cooperation with the Persian Gulf region's countries, the IRNA News Agency quoted Homayoun Haeri as saying.

Haeri said in January that Iran will exchange up to 15 billion kilowatt hours (BkWh) of electricity with its neighboring countries by the end of the current calendar year (March 19, 2012), up 50 percent year on year.

Tehran seeks to become a major regional exporter of electricity and ‎attracted ‎more than $1.1 billion in investments for the construction of ‎three new power‎plants.

Based on the Fifth Five-Year Economic ‎Development Plan, Iran should annually add 5,000 MW to its power generation capacity.

Iran's installed power generation capacity ‎is currently about 67 gigawatts ‎‎(GW).

Iran plans to boost ‎its electricity generation capacity to ‎‎reach 73GW, by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Economic ‎Development Plan (March ‎‎2016).