TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said on Thursday that 12 power plants with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW) are currently under construction across the country, IRIB reported.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of some energy projects in the 10th week of the ministry’s A-B-Iran scheme, Ardakanian said: “During the current government incumbency over 20,000 megawatts have been added to the country’s power generation capacity.”
The official noted that since the Iranian calendar year 1396 (started in March 2017), the construction of 31 power plants with a total capacity of 15,000 MW has been started across the country, of which so far 3,150 MW has been put into operation.
Also, 20,000 solar PV systems will be provided to the nomadic households across the country in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20), and since the electricity supply to most of the country’s rural areas has been completed, the electricity network of 10,000 villages will be improved by the end of the year, Ardakanian said.
According to the official, under the framework of the A-B-Iran program in the current Iranian calendar year, so far 49 projects with a total investment of 134.6 trillion rials (about $3.2 billion) have been inaugurated across the country.
The nominal capacity of electricity generation at Iranian power plants has exceeded 86,000 megawatts with the inauguration of several new power plants over the past two years.
Currently, combined cycle power plants account for the biggest share in the country’s total power generation capacity followed by gas power plants.
President Hassan Rouhani, on Thursday, had ordered the commencement of a project for the construction of a 1,400-MW power plant in Hormozgan province.
