SUNA Denies Renewable Deal With Swiss Group

Iran’s top renewable energy authority denied that it has signed any agreement covering electricity generation projects with a Swiss developer that has said it obtained power-purchase agreements for 370 megawatts of installations.

The Renewable Energy Organization of Iran, known as SUNA, has not signed any deal with MECI Group International, said Jafar Mohamadnejad Sigaroudi, the deputy in charge of planning and development at the organization and an official authorized to speak publicly about the government’s activities in the industry, Bloomberg reported.

“No such agreement or memorandum of understanding has been signed with SUNA, and, as far as I am aware, no such agreement has been signed with the Ministry of Energy,” Sigaroudi said.

“Such a contract would have to go through the organization. We would be aware of such a contract, and eventually we would have to be involved. The Ministry of Energy has not presented any information to us pertaining to such a contract or MOU.”

MECI issued a statement on Sept. 21 saying it had signed “multiple five- and 10-year power purchase agreements” with the “government of Iran.”

MECI Chairman Jeremiah Josey said at the time that the company was in talks for a further 500 megawatts of wind- and solar-plants.

The company’s statement also said MECI’s power purchase agreements covered 270 megawatts of wind power and a further 100 megawatts of conventional gas-fired generation, which would work as a combined heat and power plant.

Sigaroudi said Iran has worked to streamline the process for obtaining permits to operate since last year. Companies seeking to build renewable energy projects in Iran are referred to SUNA, which Sigaroudi said usually takes “a maximum of one week” to assess investment plans.