TEHRAN– Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian says a number of electricity generation projects, worth €28 billion, are planned to be offered to foreign investors, according to the IRNA news agency.

Chitchian said by setting up new power plants in the course of ten years, between 47,000 to 50,000 megawatts (MV) are expected to be added to Iran’s current electricity generation capacity.

To meet the ten-year target of 50,000 MV, he said, the country requires $5 billion of investment per year in generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

He said, “We have already interred into negotiations with foreign companies and some of them have showed interest to participate in the projects”.

On December 20, Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian said with transition to combined-cycle power plants from gas-fueled ones, Iran’s power plants are expected to have an average efficiency gain of 13-15 percent over a three-year time expansion.

He said the country’s power plants are slated to see an efficiency rise from the current 32 or 33 percent to 45-47 percent over a three-year time span.

Iran currently exports electricity to Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan (including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic), Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.  

The country puts priority on the neighboring and regional countries as the main destinations for electricity exports, according to Falahatian.  

SJ/MA