The nationwide project to overhaul hydroelectric power plants and improve power output is on track and close to 5,000 megawatts of electricity have been added to the national grid, the head of dispatching department at Iran Water Resources Management Company said.
“Of the total 55 hydropower plants, the annual maintenance work at 36 stations is complete and the rest are expected to become operational in March,” Javad Hajiani was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
Hydropower is a renewable source of energy and is cleaner compared to other sources. It constitutes almost 12,000 MW of Iran’s total installed power generation capacity of 85,000 MW and plays a key role during outages in summer by quickly restoring supply and supporting other plants (mostly thermal), he added.
According to the official, engineers have indigenized an important piece of equipment used in hydroelectric power plants.
“The automatic voltage regulator [AVR], which is one of the main components in the hydroelectric industry, has been manufactured with domestic knowhow,” he said.
AVR regulates voltage during fluctuations and changes voltage into stable power. Fluctuation in voltage occurs mainly due to variation in load on the supply system. Variations in voltage, if huge, often damage power equipment.
“The turbine governor, another major part in power stations, was indigenized recently and is used in Sardasht hydropower station [West Azerbaijan Province] and Daryan hydropower plant [Kermanshah Province],” Hajiani said.
Global hydropower capacity reached 1,308 gigawatts in 2019, as 50 countries and territories completed greenfield and upgrade projects, according to the 2020 Hydropower Status Report. A total of 15.6 GW in installed capacity were added in 2019, down from the 21.8 GW in 2018.
China topped the list with 8,540 megawatts, followed by Brazil (3,866 MW), Pakistan (2,487 MW), Turkey (1,085 MW), Angola (668 MW), Tajikistan (605 MW), Ecuador (556 MW), India (535 MW), Norway (419 MW) and Canada (401 MW).
Hydropower is produced in 150 countries because the cost is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable energy.
