The 4536 MW gas turbine project handed over by Iran Power Generation Transmission and Distribution Management Company (Tavanir) to the IPDC has been initiated, Habib Hajizadeh was quoted by IRIB as saying. The project involves construction of 28 power plants with a total capacity of 4536 MW, of which 3564 MW is already in place, director of gas-fueled power plants project at Iran Power Development Company (IPDC) announced on Wednesday.
Four gas units of Zagros (Kermanshah) combined-cycle power plant each with a capacity of 162 MW, four 162 MW gas units of Soltanieh (Zanjan) combined-cycle power plant, development of Urmia power plant including two 162 MW gas units, two gas units of Qods combined-cycle power plant, two gas units of Ardebil power plant, two gas units of Shahid Bastami combined-cycle power plant, four units of Geno power plant, and two gas units of Bampour (Iranshahr) power plant have already been synchronized.
Four 162 MW gas units for Sarbandar (Mahshahr) combined-cycle power plant are under construction, the official added. Two out of four units are to go into operation by March 2016.
High rate of electricity wastage at distribution networks, the huge share of fossil fuels, increased share of liquefied fuels in power plants' consumption (from 17 percent in 1382 (2003-2004) to 46 percent in 1392 (2013-2014) and power plants' low efficiency rate are among the major factors leading to pollutant gas emission in the electricity sector.
One-third of the country's natural gas is consumed at power plants. Between 90 to 92 percent of electricity is generated with fossil fuels. Iran's power plants need a daily 160 mcm/d of feedstock, of which 40 mcm is mazut and 10-15 mcm diesel. To curb air pollution, not only power plants but also industries have been instructed to use gas instead of mazut and diesel.
Combined-cycle power plants normally use both gas and steam turbines to produce up to 50 percent more electricity from the same fuel than traditional power plants. Therefore, as part of the drive to reduce the energy sector's contribution to air pollution, plans are underway to replace gas-fueled power plants with combined-cycle plants before the yearend.
