TEHRAN – Some 700 megawatts of electricity will be generated by biopower plants in Iran by 2020, said Mohammad Sadeqzadeh, the managing director of Renewable Energy Organization of Iran.

Biopower uses biomass, including wood, agricultural residues, and animal and human waste, to create electricity through various technologies.

As much as 5,000 megawatts of electricity will be generated using renewable sources, he said, adding that biopower plants in three cities of Tehran, Mashhad, and Shiraz currently generate a total of 5 megawatts the IRIB reported on Wednesday.

In Decembers 2014, Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian said the country prioritized generation of electricity from different sources of energy. He said 1,000 MW of electricity should be generated annually from renewable energies in the country. 

The country’s power generation capacity stands currently at 73 gigawatts (GW) per day, which is planned to rise to 75 GW per day by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 2016).  

In November 2014, Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian outlined plans to develop the national electricity industry, placing the priority on the expansion of solar and wind power plants. 

He said electricity generation, transmission, and distribution are projected to be increased by 7 to 8 percent annually. 

Iran has prepared a plan which could increase the efficiency of its power plants to 45 percent from the current 38 percent by 2025. 

In the wake of the historic accord reached between Iran and the world powers on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, many EU countries have been seeking to deepen their economic ties with Iran. 

Earlier this month, Finmeccanica S.p.A., which is the leading industrial group in the high-technology sector in Italy, signed a €500 million contract with Iran's Ghadir to build a power plant in the Islamic Republic.