Feedstock Shortage Halts Zarand Power Plant

One of the two 30 megawatt units of Zarand Thermal Power Plant in the namesake county, Kerman Province, is out of service due to lack of fuel since October, managing director of Zarand Power Generation Management Company said.
“Only one unit is operating and this will also stop if the power plant does not get fuel by next week,” Bargh News quoted Iraj Amiri as saying. 
The plant is the first in southeast Iran that has been operating for half a century and one of the few that uses mazut to generate electricity. 
Shahid Rajaee Combined Cycle Power Plant in Qazvin Province also uses the dirty fuel. Although its main feedstock is natural gas, the station has been forced to use liquid fuel as alternative feed since it does not receive its fair share of gas, the plant’s managing director said.
“Burning mazut has polluted the regions nearby, especially the city of Abyek,” Ali Farhour said. Mazut doubles the cost of maintenance and repairs “but we are forced to use it due to the lack of gas deliveries in the cold season.” Mazut use, especially in the winter, along with temperature inversion, has a serious negative impact on air pollution.
Located 25 km from Qazvin, the gas-powered plant has a capacity of 2,040 MW. Most thermal power plants are natural-gas based and feeding them liquefied fuels has adverse effects. Use of mazut instead of gas in power plants and other industries increases greenhouse gasses.
As more liquid fuels are used, more toxic fumes are released into the atmosphere making a bad pollution situation worse.