The Iran Power Plant Repair Company, a subsidiary of Iran Thermal Power Plants Holding Company, earns close to $40 million in revenues per year from exporting technical and engineering services and equipment, the head of the firm said.
“Of the total annual earnings, close to $30 million pertain to technical services and the rest is for selling pieces and parts indigenized with the help of domestic engineers,” Masoud Moradi was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news service.
Two decades ago, even the installation of turbine blades was monopolized by foreign companies, but Iran is currently self-reliant in the construction of blades, rotors and compressors, he added.
Most of the equipment used in thermal power plants has been indigenized.
Local companies manufacture about 1,000 components for power stations approved by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran.
Moradi said a major part of the overhaul of power plants in Iraq and a part of equipment repairs in Syria are being carried out by Iranian engineers.
“Talks are underway to overhaul thermal power stations in Venezuela. If negotiations yield positive results, IPPRC will carry out annual maintenance work at some Venezuelan power plants that annually produce about 10,000 megawatts,” he said.
“Good progress has been made in the power sector, and international companies' unwillingness to cooperate with TPPHC will not impede operations for the upkeep of power stations.”
The official noted that repair and maintenance of thermal power plants in Iran, implemented at an estimated cost of $1 billion, can add up to 2 gigawatts to the total output at 72,000 MW.
Rotor of Steam Turbines
IPPRC has manufactured a rotor of steam turbines, the company’s CEO said.
“The rotor, which will be installed on 82.5 MW turbines at a cost of $1.5 million, was built in six months.”
Moradi noted that its import would have cost the Energy Ministry at least $3.5 million, adding that the rotor with 2,539 blades can withstand temperatures as high as 550 degrees centigrade.
“IPPRC is working on similar projects to produce key components for turbines,” he said.
A steam turbine consists of a rotor (a moving component or the rotating assembly in a turbine) resting on bearings and enclosed in a cylindrical casing. The rotor is turned by steam impinging against attached vanes or blades on which it exerts a force in the tangential direction. A steam turbine is viewed as a complex series of windmill-like arrangements, all assembled on the same shaft.
Temperature at a steam unit rises to 600 degrees centigrade but can get as hot as 1,260 degrees.
“Equipment and parts that can withstand such a high temperature obviously are sensitive. We have succeeded in making the parts with help from our universities and the Energy Research Institute,” Moradi said.
“In addition to upholding national standards, the highly sensitive parts are sent to international institutions for further verification.”
National power production capacity is over 90,000 MW, a large part of which comes from thermal power plants built two decades ago. The main problem with aging power plants is that their efficiency declines and they need major repairs.
Routine yearly maintenance and service on the 130 thermal power plants nationwide started last September and should end in June and the onset of summer.
Iran's power industry is 14th in the world in terms of output. However, a large part (80%) of the plants use fossil fuels.
This is causing increasing concern among academia, economic experts, climate activists and environmentalists who have been pleading for effective measures by the government to promote renewables.
