Tehran, Iran, Dec. 13
By Milad Fashtami - Trend:
Iran plans to construct a number of power plants with total production capacity of 33,000 megawatt in the next five years.
Deputy Energy Minister Sattar Mahmoudi said that the country also plans to convert 16,000 megawatt of gas plants to combined cycle plants, Iran's SHANA News Agency reported on Dec. 13.
"The electricity industry has comprehensive plans to construct new power plants," he explained.
The official went on to note that the ministry plans to annually construct some renewable energy production units with the capacity to produce 1,000 megawatt of electricity.
Deputy Iranian Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian said on Dec. 8 that Iran's power consumption rises by 7 percent annually, so the country needs to add 5,000 megawatt to its power plants' production capacity each year.
"Iran needs to double its electricity generation capacity every 10 years," he said.
Iran seeks to become a major regional exporter of electricity and has attracted more than $1.1 billion in investments for the construction of three new power plants.
Iran currently trades power with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq.