First geothermal power plant in northwest to join grid soon: TPPH
Iran’s first geothermal power plant, located 25 kilometers south of Meshginshahr in Ardabil Province, is set to be connected to the national grid “soon” following the activation and completion of operations to revive its first geothermal well, according to an official at the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company (TPPH).
The project, described as a pilot, is being developed on a geothermal reservoir with a potential capacity of around 250 megawatts. Installation and commissioning of the plant are over 95% complete, IRNA reported.
According to Behnam Khaefinejad, project spokesperson at the TPPH, about $5 million have been invested in constructing the plant, including drilling and cleaning wells.
“To explore and extract the geothermal resources, several wells have been drilled to depths of about 3,000 meters, with a production capacity of 30 megawatts, of which five megawatts will soon be brought online in the first phase,” he said.
The project has enabled Iran to gain expertise in exploration, design, implementation, and operation of geothermal resources, Khaefinejad said, highlighting plans to develop geothermal energy as a clean and sustainable power source.
Future phases aim to expand the Meshginshahr plant’s capacity, develop existing wells, extend the reservoir, and establish additional geothermal power plants across the country, he said. The initiative also seeks to promote renewable geothermal energy, localize technical know-how for sustainable exploitation of geothermal reservoirs, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, he added.
Unlike conventional steam power plants that generate electricity using heat from fossil fuels such as gas or diesel, geothermal plants use the natural heat from underground reservoirs to produce steam for turbines, Khaefinejad explained.