Tehran, Beijing in talks to expand solar power, renewable energy storage: Official
Iran is negotiating with several Chinese companies to develop solar power plants and build energy storage systems, a senior official at the state-run Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Management Company (Tavanir) said on Thursday.
Mohammad Allahdad, deputy for transmission and foreign trade at Tavanir, said Chinese firms are global leaders in installing solar cells and battery energy storage systems (BESS), IRNA reported.
He added that talks had been held with two major Chinese companies active in the solar sector.
“China has by far the world’s largest solar capacity, and storage facilities have been installed alongside them,” Allahdad said.
The government and the Energy Ministry have prioritized renewables development, particularly solar power, given Iran’s large number of sunny days, he said. As Iran begins expanding its solar capacity, energy storage systems will be required to boost efficiency. “Solar plants can only operate during the day, but if storage is used, energy from these plants can also be consumed at night,” Allahdad said.
He noted that Chinese companies also have strong capabilities in building pumped-storage plants and have already cooperated with Iranian partners on two dam projects. Under the current talks, Tehran expects to cooperate with Chinese firms to transfer technical know-how on storage manufacturing while simultaneously developing solar power plants.
“This way, both the technical knowledge of building storage systems will be transferred to the country and the development of solar plants will be pursued,” Allahdad said.
Separately, Akbar Hasanbeklou, managing director of the Tehran Province Electricity Distribution Company, announced the construction of a 350-megawatt solar power plant in Varamin in Tehran Province by a Chinese company, with an inauguration ceremony scheduled in the coming days.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the rapid growth of wind and solar generation is the main driver of renewables’ expansion, with output surpassing 4,000 terawatt hours in 2024 and projected to exceed 6,000 terawatt hours by 2026. The agency says renewables will meet more than 90% of global electricity demand growth through 2026, with hydropower expansion also contributing to the rise.