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Call for Activating Private Sector in Energy Projects

Call for Activating Private Sector in Energy Projects
Call for Activating Private Sector in Energy Projects

Plans call for reducing the role of government in energy projects and boosting private sector investments in this key sector.

Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian made the statement on the sidelines of a ceremony to start the development of a major wastewater treatment project in Khorasan Razavi Province in northeast Iran.

"Kashmar wastewater treatment project is the prime example of privatizing a state project," Chitchian was quoted as saying by ISNA.

"The project is planned to be completed in five years at an estimated cost of $36 million. The move is part of efforts to resuscitate underground water resources."

The minister noted that closing unauthorized water wells and curbing excessive extraction of water from authorized wells is among measures to reduce water consumption in Khorasan Razavi. A majority of wells in the province are now equipped with water meters.

Average rainfall is around 750 millimeters in the world, while the country's average precipitation has fallen to 205 mm in the past 15 years, down from 250 mm before a long and hard drought cast shadow over the country.

"Water demand nationwide was met in the past by drawing from qanats (underground water channels), but resources have become limited as population grew and farming expanded," he said.

Financialtribune.com