A photovoltaic power station will be built by German contractors in the city of Ahvaz in southern Khuzestan Province, in the first major economic agreement to develop the infrastructure for generating renewable energy in Iran after months of negotiations with German companies and trade delegations.
Green Invest 3000 GmbH–a subsidiary of German investment consortium Green Energy Group that builds wind turbines and photovoltaic parks–signed a memorandum of understanding with officials at the Khuzestan Regional Electricity Company to build a 10-megawatt solar power station, Mehr News Agency reported.
Referring to Ahvaz as one of the hottest cities in Iran with abundant sunshine, KZREC Managing Director Mahmoud Janghorban said Ahvaz has excellent potential for investment in solar power.
Once the construction of the power station is completed, the German consortium will embark on building a second photovoltaic power station with a capacity of 100 MW in Khuzestan.
According to reports, Iran has more than 300 sunny days throughout the year, making it an attractive target for investment in solar energy infrastructure.
Green Invest 3000 Managing Director Andreas Renker touted the MoU as a cornerstone to expand economic and energy ties with the Iran.
The agreement comes at the heels of a meeting between Iranian officials and high-ranking delegation from the northwestern German state of Lower Saxony on cooperation in the renewables sector.
Iran needs to generate 5,000 MW of renewable energies by 2015 as stipulated in the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2011-16).
In addition, Tasnim News Agency reported last month that four German investors have embarked on construction of wind farms with a capacity of 250 MW in Abadan and Bandar Mahshahr in Khuzestan, in a project that would turn the region into the second biggest hub for combined renewable energy in the Middle East.
Renewables Powerhouse
Germany is a European powerhouse in electricity production from renewables. The country's electric output from renewable sources stands at 90,000 MW while Iran's combined power generation capacity from hydroelectric, wind, solar and fossil fuel plants is close to 74,000 MW.
Germany, one of the six world powers on the other side of the negotiating table over Tehran's nuclear program, has been quick in sending trade delegations in Iran to rebuild economic and diplomatic ties.
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel became the first western politician to visit Iran at the head of a delegation of business leaders in July. A second German delegation, headed by Nils Schmid, the deputy prime minister of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany, arrived in Tehran in September.
Trade delegations from Spain, Austria, France, Germany, South Korea and Japan have made a trip to Tehran in the past few weeks to seek multibillion-dollar agreements in economic and energy sectors for the post-sanctions era.
