Iran’s largest wind farm, with a power generation capacity of 61.2 megawatts, was launched in Siyahpoosh region in Qazvin Province on Monday in a ceremony attended by Energy Minster Reza Ardakanian.
Established across a 17-hectare area, the power plant features 18 modern turbines of 3.4 MW with a permanent magnet direct-drive system made by Germany's Siemens, Energy Ministry's news portal reported.
The construction of the wind farm was started by the private sector in 2016. The project, costing €86 million, has been financed by the National Development Fund of Iran, the country's sovereign-wealth fund.
The turbines, with hubs of 83.5 meters in height and rotors of 108-meter diameter, are unique in terms of generation capacity since ordinary turbines can only generate an average of 2.5 MW.
According to Ardakanian, the power plant will generate enough power to fuel more than 75,000 households or 250,000 people in the northern provinces of Qazvin and Zanjan.
"The plant is slated to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by up to 110,000 tons per year, which is equivalent to the creation of 1,100 hectares of forests," he said, adding that the venture has created 60-100 jobs.
Unlocking Potentials
Referring to the unexploited potentials of the province in generating wind power, the minister said a large part of the region is suitable for producing renewables, particularly for creating large wind farms.
Another three-phase venture is under way at Kohak Village in Takestan, Qazvin Province. Two phases of the wind farm have been launched, injecting 55 MW of electricity to the national grid.
Plans are in place to boost the output capacity to 100 MW in the third phase in the near future.
The farm is equipped with 22 turbines, each producing 2.5 MW. The main parts of the wind turbines, namely the towers, foundation, rotor blades and control panels, were manufactured by domestic manufacturers.
Iran is taking active steps toward boosting the country’s electrical power through renewables.
According to the ministry's experts, the country has acquired the technical knowledge and capacity to manufacture almost all the equipment required for utilizing wind power.
The number of private companies generating power from renewable sources—mainly wind and solar—has soared from three to over 500 over the past five years.
Iran meets more than 80% of its electricity demand from thermal power plants that run on fossil fuels. Of the total 80,000 MW production capacity, "only a meager amount of 640 MW go to renewables, of which 45% are generated through wind farms".
Noting that "plans are high on the agenda to operate renewable power plants with the capacities of 4,000-5,000 MW," Ardakanian said the country has huge potentials in producing at least 30,000 MW of electricity from wind power.
Ardakanian inaugurated a 50-MW wind plant in East Azarbaijan Province in January. The plant includes 20 wind turbines each with a power generating capacity of 2.5 MW, as well as a 63-kV substation and electricity lines to connect the photovoltaic system to the national grid.
Iran's top engineering and energy enterprise, MAPNA, is also planning to build a 50-megawatt wind farm in Mil-e Nader zone in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, which is famous for winds of 120 days with speeds exceeding 120 kilometers per hour.
Hydroelectric Station
Later in the day, Ardakanian inaugurated a 6.3-MW hydroelectric power station built on Ayatollah Bahjat Dam in Gilan province.
The venture, with a total value of 207 billion rials ($2.1 million), is aimed at meeting the power demand of the highly populated rural areas in the green province.
The dam, located 35 km from Rasht city, is built over Zilaki River. It is responsible for supplying water for the 220 villages in the region with a population of over 2.5 million.
