TEHRAN - The efficiency of Iran’s thermal power plants has reached a new record high of 39 percent for the first time in the history of Iran’s electricity industry, IRIB reported on Sunday quoting the managing director of the country’s Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPH).

“The efficiency of the country’s thermal power plants improved by over 0.4 percent from the 38.56 percent in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) to reach 39 percent,” Mohsen Tarztalab announced.

According to Tarztalab, the mentioned improvement has decreased the fuel consumption of the country’s power plants by 846 million cubic meters in the mentioned year.

The TPPH head emphasized that the 0.4-percent increase in the efficiency of power plants has resulted in more than one percent increase in annual fuel saving.

“Annual fuel savings add value and preserve national capital, so measures to increase the power plants efficiency are among the most important goals of the company,” he stressed.

Tarztalab underlined the implementation of the annual overhaul program at the country’s power plants as one of the determining factors in achieving the mentioned efficiency ratio and added: “Technical issues and problems that occur during operation can affect the power plants’ efficiency; such issues are resolved during the implementation of the annual overhaul program to prevent the decline in the power plants’ efficiency”, he stated.

The official also stressed the significant impact of installing steam units in the country’s gas power plants on improving their efficiency and said: “The efficiency of large gas power plants is 31 percent on average; this figure can be increased to more than 45 percent by turning them into combined cycle plants.”

In this regard, last year, a total of 1,936 megawatts (MW) capacity of combined cycle power plants joined the country's national electricity network, he added.

Back in October 2018, Tarztalab had unveiled plans for an increase in the efficiency of the country’s power plants up to 40 percent in three years.

According to the official, the efficiency improvement program was provisioned following a development initiative foreseen in the country’s Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021), based on which the average efficiency of the country’s power plants was to increase by 2.1 percent.

According to the sixth development plan, new power plants in Iran should operate with an efficiency of at least 55 percent.

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.

EF/MA