TEHRAN - Iran’s thermal power plants generated over 193 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), registering a new record high.

According to Esmail Namazi, the director of Iran’s Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPH) Production and Technical Office, the electricity generation by the country's thermal power plants increased by two percent in the first half of the current year compared to the same period last year.

Thermal power plants accounted for more than 93 percent of the country’s total power generation in the mentioned six months, Namazi said.

Pointing out that the electricity generation by thermal power plants during the summer peak period exceeded 50,000 megawatts, he said: “Combined-cycle power plants accounted for 57 percent of the electricity generation by thermal power plants, which produced over 110 million MWh of electricity in the said six months.”

Also, during this period, the electricity produced by gas units increased by two percent to reach 38 million megawatts, and the production share of steam units also increased by 2.5 percent to 45 million megawatt hours.

Most of Iran’s power generation capacity is supplied by thermal power plants. Currently, combined cycle power plants account for the biggest share of the country’s total power generation capacity followed by gas power plants.

The total capacity of the country’s thermal power plants stands at over 72,000 MW, according to the Thermal Power Plant Holding.

Increasing the country’s power generation capacity and preventing blackouts during peak consumption periods have been among the Iranian Energy Ministry’s top priorities in recent years.

Earlier this month, the new TPPH head said the electricity generation capacity in the country’s thermal power plants would increase by 16,000 MW to reduce the country's power supply and demand imbalance.

In his introduction ceremony on Monday, October 6, Abolfazl Asgari said: “Development of power plants and increasing electricity generation will be the main goal of the TPPH during his tenure.”

In early May, the former head of TPPH said the country is the world’s ninth-biggest producer of thermal electricity.

Mentioning an increase of 9,000 MW in the capacity of the country’s thermal power plants over the past two years, Abdolrasoul Pishahang said thermal power plants currently account for 92 percent of Iran’s total power production capacity.

“Last year, 389 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity were produced in the country's power plants, and thermal power plants with the production of 360 billion kilowatt-hours supplied 92.5 percent of the country's electricity needs,” Pishahang said.

EF/MA