Operations to repair and overhaul thermal power plants have started, director general of the Technical Office at the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company said.
“Overhaul starts every year in September and ends in May of the following year. This year, 583 gas and steam units in 129 power plants will be ready by June to help ensure sustainable supply during peak demand,” IRNA quoted Esmaeil Namazi as saying.
THPCC oversees dozens of fossil fuel power plants with installed capacity of over 68,000 MW – the bulk of Iran's electricity demand. It is also in charge of developing 7,000 MW of gas-powered units in Shiraz, Tabriz, Kashan, Urmia and Chabahar combined cycle power plants.
An estimated 351 billion kilowatt-hours of power were generated in thermal power stations between July 2021 and June 2022, he said.
“The massive output, indicating a 7% growth compared to a year ago, accounted for 95% of total electricity produced in Iran last year.”
Giving a breakdown, the official said that of the 351 billion kWh, steam-powered plants, gas-powered stations and combined-cycle plants generated 93 billion kWh, 65 billion kWh and 193 billion kWh respectively in the 12-month period.
According to the official, hydropower plants, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, distributed generation stations and renewables constitute the rest of the production.
“Over 129 thermal power stations with around 72 gigawatts of capacity are operational,” he added.
THPCC, a subsidiary of the Energy Ministry, has added 4,500 MW to its output capacity over the period.
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 3,000 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.
Plans are underway to add 3 gigawatts to the current production by October.
