Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 4 / Trend F.Milad/
Iran Offshore Oil Company's (IOOC) will soon ink a deal worth $6.6 billion with Iran's power projects management company (MAPNA) for developing the Forouz B gas field in the Persian Gulf and generating electricity from produced natural gas, IOOC managing director said.
According to the contract, which is forecasted to be signed by late current calendar year (March 20), about 6,000 megawatts of electricity will be generated in two phases, IOOC head Mahmoud Zirakchianzadeh told Mehr news agency.
The generated electricity will be supplied to the domestic network and will be also exported to the neighboring countries, such as the UAE, Oman and Pakistan, he added.
Iran exported over 5,330 gigawatt hours of electricity to the neighboring countries by late November, showing a 23-percent rise compared to the same period of last year.
Deputy Energy Minister Mohammad Behzad has predicted that the country's electricity exports will hit $1 billion by late current calendar year.
Mehr news agency quotes Behzad as saying that technical and engineering services worth three billion dollars will be also exported by the end of the year.
"Iran currently exchanges electricity with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.
By late fifth national development plan (2015) Iran will increase its electricity generation capacity by 25,000 megawatts, Energy Minister Majid Namjou said in October 2011.