Iran to construct 14 power plants to prevent electricity cuts: MP
By Sadeq Dehqan &
Reza Abesh Ahmadlou
Staff writers
Iran will add a sum of 14 power plants to its electricity grid to prevent power cuts during the hot months of the next year, said a member of Parliament’s Energy Committee.
Reza Sepahvand told Iran Daily that over 3,600 MW will be added to the country’s electricity generation capacity by launching the new power stations, which are expected to help the country to face no outages next year.
Referring to the need to develop renewable energy, Sepahvand said renewable energy is developing rapidly in the world but it is not well-developed in our country.
In the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan (2024-28), special attention has been paid to the development of renewable energies, the lawmaker stated.
“In the budget bill of next Iranian calendar year of 1404 (to start March 21, 2025), the government has allocated proper credits to the development of renewable energies, and on the other hand, the Energy Committee of the Parliament along with the Ministry of Energy is determined to achieve the development goals in the renewable energy sector,” he noted.
The parliamentarian went on to say that our country, especially in the field of solar electricity production, enjoys very good capacities, so that in most parts of Iran, solar energy can be used for electricity production, provided that the Ministry of Energy purchases the electricity produced by the private sector in time or allow private sector producers to export their electricity output.
Last summer, the amount of electricity shortage reached 17,000 MW during peak consumption days, he said, adding that the figure is expected to be lowered to zero next year thanks to the plans of the Ministry of Energy.
Iran is developing and the country’s need for electricity consumption in the residential, industrial and agricultural sectors, is increasing day by day, and therefore the country’s electricity needs must be met from various sources, whether from combined-cycle power plants or hydroelectric power stations, Sepahvand said, calling for expediting the process of constructing power plants.
He went on to say that, in the meantime, we should make efforts to compensate for the electricity shortages through renewable energy, which is both more economical and cleaner.
If we work on the culture of energy consumption in Iran, we can prevent a large part of energy wastage, the lawmaker stated.
He stressed that electricity is used for lights during the daytime in many offices while sufficient light is available through the windows of the building, so electricity consumption increases due to a lack of attention to these issues.