The first national conference on 'Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development' kicked off on Wednesday at the University of Zabol in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, IRNA reported.
The two-day conference, attended by high-ranking officials and industry experts focuses on Sistan region's renewable energy potentials and its impact on the sustainable development, head of the UoZ, Mahmoud Owkati-Sadegh said.
The process in which the National Development Fund of Iran (NDFI) grants loans, provision of facilities to the local citizens, the infrastructure required for future projects, and the requirements for electricity exports to Afghanistan are among the issues to be discussed at the conference.
"Provision of such information will stimulate foreign and domestic investors' interest," Owkati-Sadegh said, also making reference to the four scientific seminars held concurrently to clarify the government's policy as regards renewable energy.
Also, latest achievements of scientists and experts in the field will be presented during the seminar. The results of the conference will be published later as a series of articles, he noted.
Zabol is located in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province. To fulfill its domestic demand, Iran needs to generate 5,000 MW of renewable energies by 2015.
The government plans to produce 5,000 megawatts from renewable resources within two years as stipulated in the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2011-16) and plans to target rural communities who have been largely cut off from government services. The use of renewable energy should increase to 1.5% of the energy mix by March 2016, according to the plan. A new law and a package of incentives have been in place to encourage domestic and foreign investment in renewable energy projects.
