TEHRAN – Numerous energy projects worth over 5.69 trillion rials (about $135.4 million) were inaugurated in three provinces in the 31st week of the Energy Ministry’s A-B-Iran program, IRNA reported.

In a ceremony attended by the Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, projects including the establishment of some electricity transmission lines, some substations, water supply to rural areas, and a small-scale power plant were inaugurated through video conferences in Tehran, Ilam, and Golestan provinces.

Of the mentioned projects, eight were put into operation in Ilam province, eight were in Golestan and the other one was inaugurated in Tehran.

Water supply to 43 villages was the only project inaugurated in Tehran province, which provided a population of more than 14,000 households with sustainable drinking water.

The inaugurated projects of Golestan include a 25-megawatt (MW) small scale generator, modification, and optimization of 28 electricity distribution lines, increasing Gorgan transmission substation capacity, as well as improvement and optimization of stations, transmission lines, and water supply projects to 39 cities and villages.

A 2.5-MW small-scale power plant and several other development and improvement projects were also inaugurated in Ilam.

A-B-Iran program (the acronyms A and B stand for water and electricity in Persian) was initiated in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), during which the minister made 31 trips to various provinces for inaugurating over 220 major projects with a total investment of 335.6 trillion rials (about $7.99 billion).

Since the beginning of the second phase of the scheme in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20), every week several energy projects have gone operational across the country.

Back in August, Ardakanian said that in the second phase of the A-B-Iran scheme 250 projects are going to be inaugurated by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2021).

The official noted that a total of 500 trillion rials (about $11.9 billion) of investment will be made in the mentioned 250 projects.

EF/MA