TEHRAN - The managing director of Renewable Energy Organization of Iran (known as SUNA) announced that the country’s total installed capacity of renewable power plants has exceeded 340 megawatts (MW), ILNA reported.

Seyed Mohammad Sadeqzadeh made the remarks on the sidelines of the 9th International Renewable Energy and Energy Saving Exhibition in Tehran.

According to the official, the country is aiming to install some 100 MW capacity of renewable power plants during the current Iranian calendar year (which ends on March 20, 2017) and the Energy Ministry has it on agenda to install over 500 MW capacity of renewable plants in the upcoming Iranian calendar year of 1396 (March 2017-March 2018).

“Hopefully by the Iranian calendar year of 1397 (March 2018-March 2019) 1000-1200 MW will annually be added to the country’s generation capacity of renewable energy,” he said.

For the time being, supplying five percent of the country’s electricity need from renewable energies is a priority for Iran’s energy industry but 10 or even 20 percent would be out of consideration.

After the removal of the West-imposed sanction against Iran foreign companies have been flocking to the country to contribute to its renewable energy sector.

German company EAB NEW ENERGY GMBH, South Korea’s KTC co., and some leading companies from Denmark, Hungary, Turkey, as well as China are just a few of the companies interested in Iran’s energy sector.

EF/MA