The Thermal Power Plants Holding Company plans to build seven medium-scale power stations in five provinces to help sustain the supply of electricity in the remote regions of Iran, director of power plant projects at TPPHC said.
“Last year, the company signed a contract with MAPNA Group for the construction of medium-sized power plants within 24 months in the remote areas of Sistan-Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Yazd, Khuzestan and Lorestan provinces,” Farshid Haddadi was also quoted as saying by Bargh News.
“Turbines with a capacity of 25-90 megawatts are considered medium-scale power plants,” he added, noting that these units will help replace old power plants in the country with low capacity.
The first units of the plan have been constructed in Sistan-Baluchestan. “Within nine months, three 42 MW gas units have been launched in the southeastern province,” he said.
These power stations can run on natural gas and diesel. Upon the launch of steam units, they will be turned into combined-cycle stations with higher efficiency. They can also be used as combined heat and power plants.
The average efficiency of fossil-fuel power plants is 33%, because a part of the energy in the fuel is wasted in the form of heat discharged into the atmosphere. By recovering the wasted heat, CHP systems typically achieve 80% efficiency.
By producing electricity on-site, CHP avoids transmission and distribution (T&D) loss that occurs when electricity travels over extended power lines. Losses can be higher when the grid is under strain and temperatures are high.
By avoiding T&D losses associated with conventional electricity supply, CHP reduces fuel use, helps avoid the need for extra T&D infrastructure and eases grid congestion when demand is high.
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.
In order to increase electricity generation and reduce voltage drop in remote areas, the use of medium-scale power stations is on the agenda of TPPHC. The construction of such power plants is a better option in remote areas than large-scale plants, as the latter does not have technical and economic justifications.
MAPNA Turbines
MAPNA’s medium-scale power plants also have the ability to generate offshore and off-grid power, and are economically suitable for various industries. Another advantage of these units is the limited land area required.
In the medium-scale power plants, MAPNA will use MGT-40 gas turbines that have been indigenized by local specialists.
MGT-40 gas turbines are marked by robustness and long-term service lifetime that help tackle those challenges. The advantages and capabilities of MGT-40 gas turbines also include the flexibility of being set up in locations with space constraints, operating continuously and being resistant to adverse climatic conditions. They can also be constructed and start operating within six months, having full compliance with the standards and requirements of the electricity industry.
MAPNA Group is a conglomerate of Iranian companies involved in the development and execution of thermal and renewable power, oil and gas, railroads and other industrial projects as well as manufacturing equipment.
TPPHC, a subsidiary of the Energy Ministry, oversees dozens of fossil fuel power plants with installed capacity of over 65,000 MW – the bulk of Iran's electricity demand.
Thermal plants account for over 80% of total power output (90 gigawatts) in the country.
