Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran will hold a tender for changing gas-fired power plants to combined cycle plants.
Houshang Falahatian, the Iranian deputy energy minister, said a tender will be held by the next two months for changing 8,000 megawatts capacity of gas-fired power plants to combined cycle plants, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Dec. 13.
He added that 95 percent of the country's power plants are fed with mazut, natural gas, and gas oil.
He added that the ministry pursues a policy for diversifying power generation resources.
In this line, renewable energy production capacity should be increased by 1,000 megawatts annually and 17,000 megawatts of the capacity of gas-fired plants should be added to combined cycle plants, he said.
He also said that new power plants with a total power generation capacity of 33,000 megawatts will be commissioned by the next five years.
Falahatian said on October 19 that the Energy Ministry will sign contracts with the private sector within the next 3-4 months to change the gas-fired power plants into combined-cycle power plants.
The existing gas-fired power plants will be gradually changed to combined-cycle power plants, he noted.
Iranian energy Minister Hamid Chitchian said on November 29 that some of the old and worn-out power plants will be scrapped and the efficiency of other power plants will be improved.
Power generation capacity in Iran has grown by seven percent annually during the past 10 years.
Iran's total electricity generation currently stands at 70,000 megawatts.