Middle East’s first geothermal power plant to be launched in Iran
The first geothermal power plant in the Middle East, with the generation capacity of five megawatts, will be put into operation in Meshginshahr, Iran’s northwestern province of Ardebil, in the near future, the project commissioner of the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPH) said.
This power plant is under construction as a pilot project installed on a reservoir of geothermal energy with a generation capacity of about 250 megawatts of electricity, Behnam Khaefinejad stated, according to Tasnim news agency.
The construction operation of the geothermal power plant is ongoing, with 93 percent physical progress, he said, adding that several wells, as deep as about 3,000 meters, have been drilled with the generation capacity of 30 megawatts of electricity.
Five megawatts of that will be put into operation in the first phase, Khaefinejad added.
He said the implementation of this project has enabled the country to acquire the technical know-how of exploration, design, implementation and operation of geothermal resources.
Located 25km south of Meshginshahr, the first geothermal power plant of the country is under construction by the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company.
Geothermal power refers to the use of underground hot steam to drive turbines, which in turn generate electricity. It is cheaper and more reliable than other renewable energy sources, such as thermal or hydropower.