The first phase of a project to build the Doroh Wind Power Plant in the central district of Sarbisheh County, South Khorasan Province, has registered a work-in-progress rate of 60%, but completing the initiative makes no economic sense, the head of Renewable Energy Department at the provincial power company said.
“Of the total four wind turbines that will be installed in the first phase, one is in place and the rest have arrived at the site,” Mohammad Ali Zamen was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
“The initiative started two years ago, but the rate of progress is very slow due to financial constraints,” he said, adding that the project was expected to become operational last fall.
“Close to $20 million are required to help the first phase go on stream. Nonetheless, lack of funding has brought the project to a standstill and it is not clear when it can see the light of day.”
Neither the provincial officials nor the National Development Fund of Iran, the national sovereign fund, has agreed to finance the venture.
According to Zamen, officials have announced that fluctuations in foreign exchange rates over the last two years have made the plan economically unfeasible.
“As long as tariffs to purchase clean energy produced by wind power stations do not rise, investment in such projects makes no economic sense,” he added.
The Energy Ministry pays as little as 2.5 cents for each kilowatt of electricity generated by the private sector in wind turbines.
“Investment in wind power plants will only be viable if the current tariffs increase by at least threefold,” Zamen said.
Energy Enterprise
The 50-megawatt wind farm being built by MAPNA, Iran's top engineering and energy enterprise, will have 20 turbines of 2.5 MW each in the final stage.
It is being built over 22 hectares and is estimated to cost $100 million.
“Not only will the plant help stabilize power supply in the underprivileged region but also contribute to the economic upliftment of the people in the area,” Zamen said.
Referring to domestically-made parts and equipment (under license of Germany’s Siemens group), the official said each turbine tower is 85 meters high. The length of each blade is 50 meters and weighs 11 tons.
The nacelle, which contains the generator component, weighs 90 tons. Smart turbines rotate at a speed of 11 revolutions per second. They rotate at a minimum speed of 3.5 rps and stop automatically when wind speed reaches 25 rps.
MAPNA is a group of companies involved in the development and execution of thermal and renewable power plants, oil and gas, rail transportation and other industrial projects.
The company has built two wind farms in Aqkand Village, East Azarbaijan Province, in 2019 and in Siyahpoush region in Qazvin Province in 2018 and another farm is under construction in Mil-e-Nader Wind Farm Zone in Zabol, Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
Harnessing wind energy will help reduce dependence on fossil fuels as it cuts electricity generation from thermal power plants using natural gas and other fossil fuels [mazut], he said.
“Wind energy does not produce waste or contaminate water – a major issue given the water crisis in the country.”
