The project to supply Shahid Mofatteh (Hamedan) Power Plant with wastewater from Hamedan City will be completed by August, managing director of Bakhtar Regional Electricity Company said.
"It is the first time wastewater from treatment facilities are being utilized in power plants on a large scale," Farhad Shabihi was quoted by IRNA as saying.
The project has made 95% progress. Conservation of underground water resources, power supply during peak hours and storing water for crisis situations are among the advantages of the project.
Another advantage of such projects is that it helps reduce environmental degradation as wastewater normally causes contamination. Using Hamedan Treatment Facility's wastewater output in Shahid Mofatteh Power Plant also eliminates chemical and biological pollutants and help preserve the environment, Shabihi added.
Power generation capacity will significantly increase in Bakhtar Region (Markazi, Lorestan and Hamedan Provinces) upon completion of the project. The scheme is aimed at reducing the probability of power cuts, especially in summer. It is estimated that 700 megawatts of electricity will be added to the national power grid once the project is fully operational.
Despite several complications, including unavailability of special taps and pipes as well as convincing farmers to lay water pipes in their farms, bulk of pipes have been laid so far. In order to increase safety, alloy steel and glassfiber reinforced plastics pipes were utilized.
Bakhtar Regional Electricity Company has made use of indigenous technology and local experts to implement the project in line with the 'economy of resistance'—a policy proposed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to counter the sanctions, promote domestic growth and reduce consumption. Hamedan Regional Water Co. and Bakhtar Regional Electricity Company have signed a $16 million contract according to which the former will receive 15 million cubic meters of water a year.
Concurrently, a dry cooling tower is being constructed for the power plant to increase output and decrease water consumption.
Shahid Mofateh Power Plant is located 47 km northeast of Hamadan. Its infrastructure is of the TYPE Oil Power Plant with a design capacity of 1000 MW. It has 4 units the first of which was commissioned in 1995 and the last in 1997.
