TEHRAN- Private sector accounts for generating 60 percent of electricity in Iran, Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian announced on Saturday, IRNA reported.

The minister also mentioned foreign countries’ interest in Iran’s power sector and said several power plants have been already built in the country through foreign investment.

Iran’s nominal electricity generation capacity is 77,068 megawatts (MW) at present and it will reach 80,000 MW by summer 2018, according to Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian.

Iran increased its electricity generation capacity by 2.199 gigawatts (GW), boosting it to 76.302 GW, in the past Iranian calendar year 1395 which ended on March 20, according to a report by Iran Power Grid Management Company released in late March.

Gas-fueled power plants accounted for 75.5 percent of the increased generation capacity, equaling 1.66 GW.

Combined cycled power plants, hydroelectric power plants, distributed generation power plants, and renewable energy power plants also accounted for 14.6 percent, 3.4 percent, 5.7 percent, and 0.9 percent of the total rise in the country’s electricity generation capacity, respectively.

MA/MG