TEHRAN – Iran’s renewable power capacity has surpassed 3,000 megawatts following the addition of 445 megawatts of new clean-energy generation, the deputy energy minister said at an inauguration ceremony for recently completed solar projects.

Mohsen Tarztalab said total renewable capacity has doubled from 1,700 megawatts at the start of the year to 3,100 megawatts today, marking the fastest annual growth recorded in Iran’s renewables sector.

He said construction has also begun on 177 megawatts of new solar capacity across more than 90 sites nationwide.

He noted that bringing such a large volume of solar power online at once is unprecedented in Iran’s development of photovoltaic infrastructure. With the latest additions, renewable plants now account for more than three percent of the country’s installed power fleet.

According to Tarztalab, the environmental gains from the new projects include avoiding 615,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, saving over 251 million cubic meters of natural gas and preventing the consumption of 197,000 cubic meters of water each year.

He said ongoing projects will push renewable capacity to 4,000 megawatts by next month, adding that solar developments are now underway in 15 provinces. Recent projects in Golestan Province have already come online, with new phases planned elsewhere.

Tarztalab said the pace of expansion represents a major shift from previous years, when only 10 to 20 megawatts of renewable capacity were added annually. In some recent periods, the rate has reached 800 megawatts, a level he described as crucial for meeting national clean-energy goals.

Total investment in the latest 445 megawatts of new capacity and 177 megawatts of projects under construction amounts to 186.78 trillion rials (about $373 million). The projects span regions including Isfahan, West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan, Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Tehran and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces.

EF/MA