JICA Chief, Chitchian Explore Energy Cooperation

Iran is interested in energy cooperation with Japan, including water and wastewater and power plant projects, Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian said.

Chitchian made the statement in a meeting with Shinichi Kitaoka, the president of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on the sidelines of the 27th Meeting of the Energy Charter Conference in Tokyo on Friday, IRNA reported.

“Tehran and Tokyo can carry out plans in Iran, such as Urmia Lake Restoration Program (in the northwest), rehabilitation of Shahid Rajaee Power Plant (in Qazvin Province) and Shahid Mofatteh Thermal Power Plant (in Hamedan Province),” Chitchian added.

The minister said years of draught in Iran and a national master plan to raise the efficiency of power plants necessitates closer collaboration between the two nations.

“The two sides have held negotiations on building power plants with G-class turbines,” Chitchian noted.

Following the lifting of international sanctions in January, Iran resumed negotiations with German engineering company Siemens to purchase several F-class turbines to upgrade its aging power production facilities.

F-class turbine technology, however, dates back 20 years and more advanced G, J and H-class technologies, with efficiency of 60% or higher, are in demand.

  Coop. in Khuzestan

Referring to the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war during which waste to water and wastewater infrastructure in the southern Khuzestan Province was routinely bombed by the Ba’ath army, Chitchian said the region’s water facilities need major overhaul. He informed the Japanese official that plans are in place to enhance the quality of potable water in the oil-rich province.

Chitchian said the initiative to improve the quality of drinking water in Khuzestan alone requires $2 billion in investment and Japanese companies could help in this regard.

The minister also touched on Iran’s commitment to the Paris climate accord which was signed in December last year to cap the global emission of greenhouse gases and limit global warming.

“Based on the Paris Agreement, Iran is committed to adding about 7,500 megawatts of renewable power generation capacity and raise the efficiency of its power plants,” he said, stressing that Japanese companies are welcome to cooperate in expanding renewables.

Kitaoka noted that “the two countries should first define a framework for collaboration and then jointly implement projects based on shared interests.”

Chitchian who arrived in Japan on Thursday also called on Keiichi Ishii, the  minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism.

He was to be later briefed on Yokohama Smart City Project, an initiative to establish overseas expansion of Japan’s smart grid, and also tour the city’s advanced water treatment plant.

He signed the International Energy Charter declaration in the conference, adopting the 25-year-old non-binding agreement alongside Iraq and Guatemala on Friday.

The International Energy Charter is a declaration of political intent aiming at strengthening energy cooperation between the signatory states and does not bear any legally binding obligation or financial commitment.