Iran’s hydroelectric output to increase by 30% in year to March
The Iranian Ministry of Energy expects its hydroelectric output to increase by about 30% in the year to March 2024 amid better precipitation that has led to increased water levels in reservoirs in the country.
A deputy head of Iran’s Water and Energy Resources Development Company said that electricity generation from hydroelectric dams in southwestern Khuzestan Province would increase this calendar year with a rise in water levels in two main reservoirs in the region, Press TV reported.
Vahid Izadi said that water levels at Gotvand Olya and Karun 4 dams had reached 85% of the capacity of the reservoirs, adding that power generation from the two hydroelectric stations would reach two gigawattts (GW) this calendar year.
Iran has four other hydroelectric dams, with a total electricity generation capacity of 1.3 GW.
Izadi said a new hydroelectric station in Chamshir Dam, a large reservoir located in southern Iran, would come on stream in July, with a capacity of 55 megawatts.
Iran has experienced better rainfall in the water year that started in late September.
The Ministry of Energy figures released on Tuesday showed that water levels in dams across Iran had increased by 26% year-on-year in the seven months to late April, to reach 30.8 billion cubic meters.
The ministry said water reservoirs in Iran were 62% full in late April, a slight increase from 61% reported in late March.