TEHRAN – Nominal electricity generation capacity in Iran has reached 80,509 megawatts (80.509 gigawatts), IRNA reported on Wednesday.

The mentioned figure for the added capacity was supplied from the newly operational distributed generation power plants, hydroelectric power plants, as well as renewable plants.

The country increased its electricity generation capacity by 500 megawatts (MW) compared to the last year (ended on March 20).

Iran’s total power generation capacity stood at 80,000 MW in the past Iranian calendar year (1397), up from the 78,484 MW of its preceding year.

Currently, with a total generation capacity of 25,083 MW (31.2 percent) combined cycle power plants account for the biggest share in the country’s total power generation capacity followed by gas power plants generating 29.9 percent.

The share of hydroelectric power plants is 19.87 percent while hydroelectric plants generate 14.8 percent of the country’s total electricity, the share of dispersed generation units is 1.5 percent and finally the renewable power plants account only for 0.79 percent of Iran’s total power generation capacity.

The energy ministry plans to inaugurate 22 new units with a total capacity of 3,933 MW in the current fiscal year along with upgrading and increasing the efficiency of existing power plants to add another 461 MW of new capacity.

EF/MA