Following the rise in the volume of water in Zayanderud Dam, its hydroelectric power plant was reconnected to the national grid after remaining grounded for five months, the Isfahan Regional Water Company’s deputy for conservation and operations said.
“The only hydropower plant in Isfahan Province, which went off grid last October due to water shortage in the dam reservoir, has become operational again,” Mahmoud Chitian was also quoted as saying by the Energy Today’s website.
According to the latest statistics, 200 million cubic meters of water are stored in Zayanderud Dam while it has a nominal capacity of 1 billion cubic meters.
The current volume of water in the dam shows that it is currently only 20% full.
Electricity generation in the station depends on the dam’s water and it cannot produce power in critical situations.
The 56.5-megawatt hydroelectric power plant adjacent to the dam requires at least 170 mcm of water for operation.
An unprecedented decline in precipitation in the past two water years (September 2021-22), which were among the driest in half a century, caused a steep decline in water stored in hydroelectric dams.
High consumption in the hot summer on the one hand and shortage of hydropower on the other led to blackouts in some urban areas last year.
Renewable Energy
The renewable hydropower is cleaner compared to other power plants. It constitutes almost 12,000 MW of Iran’s total installed power generation capacity of about 86,000 MW.
Established over 50 years ago, Zayanderud Dam is situated on the famous Zayanderud river 10 km east of Chadegan in Isfahan Province.
The primary purpose of the dam is to supply water to the ancient and world famous tourist city.
The dam is designed to provide daily drinking water for more than 5 million people in the central province, for agriculture alongside the Zayanderud river and for heavy industries in the central area of the provincial capital.
In the not-too-distant past, Zayanderud had regular and significant water flow, but is almost dry for more than eight months to the detriment of farmers who are largely dependent on the river for their livelihood.
Located in an arid region of Iran with below minimum precipitation, Isfahan, like many other provinces, has been struggling with drought for several years, resulting in the gradual drying up of the Zayanderud river.
