Sri Lanka is eager to carry out new power and water projects with the help of Iranian experts in the post-Covid-19 era.
Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa made the statement during a meeting with Iran's Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian in Tehran on Sunday, IRNA reported.
Sri Lanka is hopeful of drawing on Iranian expertise to implement its water and power plans, he added.
The Lankan minister noted that the two sides are interested in holding talks to facilitate investment in developing infrastructures related to hydropower and renewable energies.
Referring to growing energy prices in Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa noted that hydropower accounts for 50% of total energy output and the rest is generated by solar and wind farms, as well as thermal power stations.
“Vast pieces of land can be allocated to harness solar energy and Iranian companies are welcome to invest in such initiatives,” he said.
According to Mehrabian, Iran-Sri Lanka friendship has a history of more than 60 years and Iranian firms could invest in dam, power plant and water irrigation projects in Sri Lanka.
Commenting on Iran’s installed power capacity of 90 gigawatts, he noted that hydropower accounts for 13,000 megawatts of the total output and enhancing hydropower capacity in Sri Lanka is no big deal for Iranian contractors.
Techno-Engineering Services
Iran’s techno-engineering services exports in electricity and water sectors have witnessed a growth of 17% compared to those of 2016, Mohammad Ali Farahnakian, the energy minister’s advisor for international affairs, said.
Supporting domestic companies to increase the export of technical and engineering services tops the Energy Ministry’s agenda. Power and water services account for almost 57% of Iran's total exports of technical and engineering services, he added.
The official noted that water and power industries have made a positive contribution to the export of technical and engineering services in the last decade.
“The ministry’s top priority is selling services to neighboring states, but Latin America and Africa also have untapped markets that can be lucrative for Iranian engineering firms,” he said.
Referring to Venezuela as a case in point, Farahnakian said talks are underway to provide Caracas with thermal power plant maintenance services, in addition to implementing water and power station projects.
According to data published by the ministry, Iranian contractors have completed 100 energy projects overseas worth $5 billion in the last few years.
The official believes that Iran has the potential to become “one of the largest exporters of technical and engineering services in the Middle East”.
To manufacture power cables, copper and petrochemicals are required. Iran is rich in such raw materials. It sits on approximately 5% of the global copper deposits and can become a major petrochemical producer with its large oil and gas reserves.
