Dozens of energy projects were inaugurated in Tehran and Gilan provinces on Tuesday, namely 28 related to power and water worth $22.1 million.
According to the Energy Ministry news portal Paven, electricity projects in Tehran Province included eight small-scale power stations with distributed generation system, 16 power supply projects plus network modification and optimization.
The first phase of water transfer project from Mamlou Dam in the capital to downstream industries via 16.5 kilometers of transmission line was among the new projects. It will supply water to Abbasabad Industrial Town and sand mines nearby.
The second phase that includes a 6.5-km pipeline is expected to be completed by March 2021 and transfer water to Shahed and Damavand power plants. When the 23-km transmission line is in place it will annually supply 7 million cubic meters of water.
This project is designed to cut groundwater extraction by downstream industries and improve levels of aquifers and groundwater resources.
Situated 30 km southeast of Tehran, Mamlou Dam has a capacity of 250 mcm. It provides south Tehran potable water and feeds big farmlands in Varamin and Pakdasht to the south of the capital.
Less Water in Tehran Dams
Water stored in five dams in Tehran Province since the beginning of the current water year (Sept) is approximately 178.61 mcm or 8% less compared to the same period last year when it was 195.07 mcm, the deputy for operations at the Tehran Regional Water Company said.
“The total volume of water in the five dams is 615 mcm. It was 686 mcm last year,” Ahmad Ali Qorbanian was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Five dams supplying the ever-expanding capital include Taleqan, Latyan, Mamlou, Karaj and Lar. Together they can hold 2 billion cubic meters of water.
DG Systems for Grid Stability
The power projects that opened in Tehran on Tuesday were funded by the state-owned Tehran Regional Electric Company and private firms to augment network stability.
Small-scale electricity generation is gradually replacing big fossil-fuel plants, which currently are the world’s single largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
The government is forging collaboration with private companies by offering incentives to expand electricity generation and guarantees purchase of power generated by small-scale plants for five years.
Distributed generation refers to electricity produced in small quantities near the point of use as alternative or supplement to traditional centralized grid-connected power. It reduces the cost and complexity associated with transmission and distribution, while offsetting peak electricity demand and stabilizing the local grid.
Piped-Water for Rural Gilan
Also on Tuesday, a water project was launched to supply 38 villages in northern Gilan Province via a 63-km pipeline to meet the needs of 21,867 people (7,289 households). Three power supply projects opened in Astara County.
Since the beginning of the current fiscal year in March, 176 power, water and wastewater projects have been completed across the country costing $2 billion. Another 74 are expected to be completed by next March.
