New 183 MW unit at Neka power plant in Mazandaran comes on stream
President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday inaugurated the development project of Neka power plant, comprising two 183-megawatt gas units and one 180-megawatt steam unit, in Mazandaran Province via video conference.
The new 183-megawatt gas unit at the power plant was commissioned during the ceremony, attended by Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi.
Constructed in less than five months — a timeframe considered record-breaking for civil engineering projects — this unit was prioritized by the government to address the electricity supply-demand imbalance.
The commissioning of the gas unit at Shahid Salimi Neka Power Plant has created indirect employment for 1,000 individuals and direct employment for 200 individuals in the northern province.
Officials at the power plant stated that the commissioning of the gas unit now supplies electricity to 100,000 households and meets part of the industrial electricity demand in Mazandaran Province.
The project's executive managers announced that 95% of the facilities and equipment for the new gas unit were domestically manufactured and produced, resulting in significant foreign currency savings.
Shahid Salimi Neka Power Plant, with a production capacity of 2,214 megawatts, is one of the country's largest power plants, capable of supplying over four percent of the nation's electricity. Equipped with four steam units (each 440 MW), two gas units (each 137.6 MW), and one 160-megawatt combined cycle steam unit, it plays a crucial role in stabilizing the national power grid by supplying over four percent of the country's electricity.
At the inauguration ceremony for the third gas unit of Shahid Salimi Neka Power Plant, the Iranian energy minister told reporters, "Currently, very important projects are underway in the electricity sector, with over 1,000 projects in the water and electricity industry being implemented, nearly 800 of which pertain to the electricity industry."
Aliabadi said, "Within this short period, we have brought over 2,000 megawatts of power plant capacity online, and it is expected that this figure will soon reach 3,000 megawatts."
He referred to the country's status regarding solar power plant development, stating that planning for approximately 30,000 megawatts had been undertaken to this end. He noted that equipment for 7,000 megawatts had already been imported and was currently being installed.
On Monday, the energy minister traveled to Mazandaran to inaugurate several water and electricity industry projects. The agenda for the minister's trip to Mazandaran included, commissioning the third 183-megawatt gas unit at the Neka power plant; inaugurating five distributed generation power plant projects and 21 substation and ultra-distribution line construction/expansion projects; commissioning the Sari city water supply completion project from Shahid Rajaei Dam, including a 20,000-cubic-meter reservoir and a 3.2-kilometer transmission line; and commencing the executive operations of the Miyandorud water conveyance project.
78,000 MW of investment demand in renewables
Emphasizing the utilization of private sector capacity in implementing water and renewable energy projects, the minister said, "There is demand exceeding 78,000 megawatts in the country for developing renewable energy."
According to IRNA, Aliabadi, speaking at the ceremony for commissioning the Sari water supply completion project and launching the Miyandorud water transfer project's executive operations, stated, "The ministry intends to expand projects in the water and renewable energy sectors by attracting private investment and public participation."
He added that implementing water transfer projects is being pursued with seriousness, emphasis, and special attention from the government within the ministry of energy.