To improve stability in power supply in Khuzestan Province and reduce outages, 12 gas-insulated substations will become operational soon, Khuzestan's governor general said.
"Installing GIS systems cost twice as much as regular substations, but they play a key role in reducing power cuts in regions where sandstorms are a near permanent feature," Gholamreza Shariati was quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry's news portal on Tuesday.
A GIS uses dielectric gas and sulfur hexaflouride at moderate pressure for insulation. It is mostly used where space is expensive or not available. In a GIS, the active parts including transformers and feeders are protected from corrosion emanating from exposure to atmospheric air, moisture, contamination and sand.
The senior official in the oil-rich province said the power grid in his region needs to be equipped with at least 17 such systems.
"Repairing and rebuilding electrical infrastructure, namely substations and power transmission equipment, battered by dust storms, is usually an expensive enterprise,” he added, stressing the role and significance of the GISs.
Dust storms have become a near permanent feature of the southern regions over the past several years. But conditions worsened last year as storms knocked out the electricity grid for a few days in 13 cities in Khuzestan where the mercury crosses above 45 degrees Celsius in the summer seasons.
Shariati noted that in 2015 the sandstorm was so strong that the entire power network was hit in the province and oil output decreased by 700,000 barrels for a few days.
The province accounts for 70% of the country's oil production. At the time, Iran crude export stood at 2.8 million barrels per day.
According to Houshang Falahatian, a deputy energy minister, the ministry allocated 1 trillion rials (around $25 million) to restore power in Khuzestan in 2017.
Residents also suffer intermittent water supply cuts due to the power failures.
According to experts, most of the sources of dust storms, which have worsened in recent years, are in neighboring Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
