The sole hydroelectric power plant in Isfahan Province was shut down at the weekend due to the acute water shortage that has left Zayandehrud Dam with very little water, said the director of the dam and power station affiliated to the regional water company.
Mahmoud Chitian referred to 13 years of drought in the central plateau and said the rapidly deteriorating water conditions had an adverse effect on the plant, reducing production drastically and eventually resulting in its closure, ILNA reported.
Zayandehrud Dam is situated on the famous Zayandehrud River 10 kilometers east of Chadegan in Isfahan Province.
The primary purpose of the dam is to supply water to the ancient and world famous tourist city. It also supports a power station that annually produced 60 megawatt hours of electricity.
Located in arid regions of Iran with below minimum precipitation, Isfahan, like many other provinces, has been struggling with drought for years, resulting in the gradual drying up of the Zayandehrud River, the pride of the region.
Unprecedented decline in precipitation during the past water year (Sept. 23, 2017-Sept. 22, 2018) caused a steep decline in water stored in hydroelectric dams. According to the Energy Ministry, energy produced at 53 hydroelectric power plants in summer fell to 3.65 million megawatt hours, indicating a 36% fall compared to the corresponding period last year.
High consumption in the hot summer on the one hand and shortage of hydropower on the other led to blackouts in some urban areas this year.
“Hydroelectric plants play an important role in the event of power outages as they can quickly reestablish supply after a blackout and support other power plants (mostly thermal),” Chitian noted.
Last water year was one of the driest in half a century because a rainfall deficit of 45%.
Hydropower is a renewable energy and its production is cleaner compared to other power plants. It constitutes almost 15%, or nearly 12,000 MW of Iran’s total installed power generation capacity of 77,000 MW.
