TEHRAN – Iran’s Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPH) has announced that overhaul operations for 100,000-megawatt (MW) capacity of power plants across the country will be completed by May 21 and the mentioned power plants will be ready for the summer peak consumption period.

Naser Eskandari, the deputy head of TPPH for strategic affairs, said so far, the overhaul operations for 65 percent of the above-mentioned power plants are underway and the rest will also go through the overhaul operations soon, IRNA reported.

“Before the summer peak electricity consumption period, repairing operations will be carried out in more than 100,000 MW capacity of power plants across the country,” Eskandari stated.

According to the latest assessment, of the total capacity of the power plants going through overhaul operations, about 5,666 MW are steam units, and 8,912 MW are gas units, the official said.

“To prepare the power plants for the peak consumption period of this summer, about 700 overhaul operations will be carried out in steam and gas units, hot track, and combustion chambers of private and public power plants,” Eskandari added.

In order to ensure the proper operation of power plants in the peak consumption period, the annual overhaul program starts every year in early September and will continue until late May the next year, the official said.

Summer months constitute Iran’s peak demand periods, so most of the power plant overhaul programs are scheduled to take place during the autumn, winter, and spring seasons.

Every year, during the overhaul program thousands of personnel constantly work to complete the annual repair program of the country's power plants on time and ensure the stable supply of electricity to customers during peak consumption days.

Last year, the annual overhaul program was also conducted for 100,000 megawatts capacity of the country’s power plants.

The capacity of power plant units that went through the overhaul program last year increased by 11 percent compared to the preceding year.

Currently, the knowledge for producing 80 percent of the equipment and spare parts of the power plants has been localized by Iranian experts in cooperation with knowledge-based companies and research centers.

Iran’s total power generation capacity currently exceeds 85,000 MW, more than 90 percent of which is supplied by thermal power plants.

Over 478 thermal power plants are currently operating throughout Iran including both gas power plants and combined cycle plants.

EF/MA