Hydropower Output Increases

Despite facing low levels of rainfall and hot temperatures, Iran has managed to extract 10% more electrical power from its hydroelectric dams since March 2017, the beginning of its fiscal year, compared to the same spell of last year.

"Since the start of the year, hydroelectric dams have produced over 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. That is 10% higher from the same period of a year ago," said Farbod Estiri, a deputy at Iran Water Resources Management Company, the Energy Ministry's news portal reported on Friday.

The increase was chiefly driven by domestic demand for electricity to power air conditioners. The country's power demand shot up to a record level of 55,400 megawatts in July.

According to Estiri, the lion's share of Iran's hydroelectric capacity of 11,875 MW is installed on Karun River that runs through the southwest of Iran.

"Unfortunately, precipitation has been insignificant in and around Karun and Karkheh rivers (in Khuzestan Province)," the official said, adding that most of the hydropower capacity is being overhauled after sustaining high electrical loads for two consecutive years.

With an installed capacity of 77,000 MW, Iran's energy mix is dominated by fossil fuel power stations, by 12,000 MW of hydroelectric, 1,000 MW of nuclear and less than 500 MW of renewable power capacity.

Iran's push to raise power production capacity calls for upgrading aging power plants with highly efficient turbines and developing a mix of new thermal and renewable power projects.

The country hopes to add 5,000 MW of new capacity per year through 2022, the end of its Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan.