A 400-kilovolt substation was inaugurated on Thursday in Jahrom in Fars Province in a ceremony attended by Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian.
The combined cycle substation went on stream at a cost of 38 billion rials ($8.1 million), IRNA reported.
"Six other projects in the field of energy worth 6.5 trillion rials [$138 million] will become operational during his visit to the southern province," he said. Noting that the projects are mainly focused on water management and power generation, he added that several schemes await funds, including for power generation from renewable energies.
Commenting on a pledge by the government to increase the role of renewables in the country, he noted that moves are underway to expand power generation from renewable sources in hot and dry provinces that are suitable for harnessing solar power.
Iran is keen on developing renewable energy and diversifying its energy mix that relies heavily on fossil fuels for power generation.
Ardakanian said the share of renewables in Iran's energy mix has reached 500 megawatts, but it comprises a trivial portion of the country's 77-GW power capacity.
Iran is among a handful of countries with the know-how to build power plants from the ground up. The country wants to expand power generation capacity by 5,000 MW annually through 2021, the end of its Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2017-22).
