Thermal power stations, with an installed generation capacity of 3,500 megawatts, have become operational in the last 12 months, deputy for projects development at the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company said.
“With the synchronization of 16 gas and steam units with the national grid in thermal power plants, the capacity of Iran's thermal power plants has reached 72,000 megawatts,” Mohammad Ramezani was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Giving a breakdown, he said gas units of Hengam Power Plant in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Pasargad Power Station on Qeshm Island and Mianroud in Dezful, Khuzestan Province, Aryan Power Plant in Zanjan Province, Mahtab Kavir Power Plant in Zarand County, Kerman Province, and Iran LNG Power Plant in Kangan County, Bushehr Province, have become operational during the period to add 2,000 MW to the network.
The steam units in Jahrom Power Plant in Fars Province, Haris and Urmia power stations in East and West Azarbaijan provinces, Chabahar Power Plant in Sistan-Baluchestan Province and Besat Power Station in Asalouyeh in Bushehr Province have added 1,500 MW to Iran’s thermal power generation capacity.
“So far, 598 steam and gas units have been built in 129 thermal power plants in the country,” he said.
The TPPHC official noted that 67% of the total capacity of thermal power plants in the country are owned by the private sector.
Iran’s total electricity generation capacity has surpassed 86,000 MW and another 6,000 MW planned by the Energy Ministry will be added to the current capacity in fall.
Meanwhile, Thermal Power Plants Holding Company has started converting seven single-cycle power plants into combined-cycles after it received the green light of the government’s Economic Council.
Conversion Plan
All the seven gas-powered stations are operated by the private sector and the conversion plan is projected to cost $2.5 billion, the official said.
Giving a breakdown on the venture, Ramezani noted that the total volume of power generation of these plants, namely the Soltaniyeh Power Plant in Zanjan, Zagros Power Station in the western Kermanshah Province, Persian Gulf Power Plant in Hormozgan Province, Golestan and Semnan power plants in the namesake provinces, Khorramshahr facility in Khuzestan and Shahid Kaveh Power Plant in Khorasan Razavi Province, is less than 5,000 MW that will reach 7,500 MW after conversion.
“Aimed at enhancing power production capacity and helping to further stabilize the national power grid, the initiative will be undertaken in four years with the help of domestic engineers and locally-manufactured equipment,” he said.
According to Mahmoud Sadeqi, director of the power project at TPPHC, the second gas unit of Mahtab Kavir Power Plant got connected to the national electricity network on Sunday.
“With a capacity of 162 MW, the unit has been officially launched after a two-month trial operation,” he added.
The first gas unit of the plant became operational in May and a steam unit will be launched later by the yearend.
Sadeqi noted that the power station helps supply electricity to south and southeastern regions in the provinces of Kerman, Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan.
It is being constructed on a 52-hectare land, 20 kilometers from Zarand City, near the village of Aliabad. When fully operational, the combined-cycle power plant will have a total capacity of 484 MW.
The construction operation of the power plant is being carried out by domestic experts and the plant’s efficiency will be 48%.
The main components and equipment of this complex, including turbines, generators, transformers and auxiliary equipment, are manufactured by domestic producers and companies.
Peak Load
Iran’s peak load record was broken on Sunday, according to Iran Grid Management Company.
The country's electricity consumption reached 67,500 MW on July 17, while the highest amount of consumption last year, 66,000 MW, was set in August when the temperature was higher.
Sunday’s consumption was 3,200 MW higher than that of the same day of last year (July 17, 2021).
Power authorities have been repeatedly requesting household and industrial sectors to reduce consumption, especially during peak hours, to prevent blackouts during summer.
To help reduce consumption, household subscribers can follow some simple solutions. They can do so by operating evaporative coolers at low speed, setting the temperature of split air-conditioners to 24 degrees and avoiding appliances with high electricity consumption during peak hours (12-17 p.m.).
Government offices in some provinces have been ordered to open earlier in the morning and close at midday to help reduce power use on hot days.
Iran has experienced electricity supply and demand imbalances over the past three years mainly because of a surge in energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining and a heavier use of natural gas in manufacturing and household sectors, which has caused power plants to operate at lower capacity.
Low rainfall is also contributing to the power imbalance, as less electricity is generated by hydroelectric power plants.
