Water and power projects in several towns in Semnan Province were inaugurated by Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian on Thursday.
One of the projects was the first solar power plant in the village of Said Abad in Damghan, IRNA reported.
Using more than 4,104 polycrystalline solar panels and 18 inverters, the 1.3 megawatt plant was financed by the German firm ABO Wind.
Constructed on an area of 20,000 square meters, the plant has an annual production capacity of 2,500 megawatt hours and has been connected to the national power grid.
According to Florian Luders, ABO’s CEO, this is their first project in Iran.
"The solar park in Said Abad gives us important insight into the construction process in Iran. We are now well equipped for implementing larger wind and solar projects in the near future,” he told the news agency.
ABO Wind opened an office in Tehran in 2016 and is involved in several Iranian wind and solar parks.
"Iran offers excellent conditions for renewables. There is a lot of wind, the sun shines frequently, and there are large potential areas," Lüders noted.
Given the geographical proximity and climate in Damghan, it is a good option for investment in renewable energy, said Damghan Governor Ali Asghar Majd. Plans for constructing seven more solar and wind power plants in Damghan are under consideration.
Another project inaugurated by the minister was Mojen Dam 7.5 kilometers west of the city of Mojen in Shahrud County.
The dam, which took 8 years to complete, is of earth type with clay core. Its crest length is 260 meters, it is 38 meters high and has a capacity to store 4.75 million cubic meters of water.
During his one-day trip to the northern province, Ardakanian launched other projects in Garmsar, Shahrud and Semnan.
