Hormoz Combined-Cycle Power Plant Steam Unit Commissioned

Ghadir Oxin Electricity Development Company and the Hormoz Combined Cycle Power Plant in southern Hormozgan Province signed an agreement in Tehran on Tuesday, based on which the former is tasked with building a steam unit for the power plant.
“The gas unit of the power plant with a capacity to generate 160 megawatts was connected to the national grid in 2019, but financial constraints delayed the construction of the steam unit,” Ali Molaei, managing director of the power station, was quoted as saying by ISNA.
“The new unit will add 75 MW to the facility’s output capacity and increase its efficiency from the current 32% to 48%,” he said.
“The plan is expected to be carried out at an estimated cost of $80 million in two years.”
Molaei noted that the steam unit will reduce the plant’s annual natural gas consumption by 220 million cubic meters.
Located in the Persian Gulf Mining and Metal Industries Special Economic Zone in Bandar Abbas, the power plant was funded by Ghadir Oxin Power Development Company and the National Development Fund of Iran and it provides power to local industries in the special zone, namely to aluminum industries.
Hormozgan Province Gas Company provides 20 million cubic meters of gas per day to the plant.
A combined cycle power plant uses both gas and steam turbines to produce up to 50% more electricity from the same fuel than a traditional simple cycle plant. The waste heat from the gas turbine is sent to a nearby steam turbine, which also generates electricity.
According to reports, effective steps have been taken to convert conventional plants into combined-cycle units to improve efficiency and reduce pollution and costs. 
The Persian Gulf Mining and Metal Industries Special Economic Zone, off the western flank of the port city, boasts massive reserves of oil and gas, proximity to iron ore mines (as raw material for the steel industry) and easy access to international waterways.