The capacity of Iran's thermal power plants has risen by 4,000 megawatts over the last 12 months, deputy for projects development at the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company said.
“Linking up 17 gas and steam units with the national grid and implementing timely annual maintenance operations has helped exceed the output capacity in thermal power stations to 72,000 MW,” Mohammad Ramezani was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The steam units in Jahrom Power Plant in Fars Province, Haris and Urmia power stations in East and West Azarbaijan provinces, Chabahar Power Plant in Sistan-Baluchestan Province and Besat Power Station in Asalouyeh in Bushehr Province have added 1,500 MW to Iran’s thermal power generation capacity, he added.
Gas units of Hengam Power Plant in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Pasargad Power Station on Qeshm Island and Mianroud in Dezful, Khuzestan Province, Aryan Power Plant in Zanjan Province, Mahtab Kavir Power Plant in Zarand County, Kerman Province, and Iran LNG Power Plant in Kangan County, Bushehr Province, have become operational in one year to add 2,000 MW to the network. This is while the repair and overhaul of 129 thermal power plants also added 500 MW to the output.
Ramezani said a total of 598 steam and gas units are operational in 129 thermal power plants.
“Despite the rise in production capacity, the power network is still suffering from a deficit of at least 10,000 MW,” he said.
The official noted that 70% of the total capacity of domestic thermal power plants are owned by the private sector.
Total electricity generation capacity in Iran has surpassed 86,000 MW and another 6,000 MW planned by the Energy Ministry will be added to the current capacity in fall.
Peak Load
Iran’s peak load record was broken on Tuesday, according to Iran Grid Management Company.
The country's electricity consumption reached 69,500 MW on Aug. 16, while the highest amount of consumption last year was 66,000 MW.
Tuesday’s consumption was 3,300 MW higher than that of the same day of last year (Aug. 16, 2021).
To help reduce consumption, government offices in some provinces have been ordered to open earlier in the morning and close at midday.
Iran has experienced electricity supply and demand imbalances over the past three years mainly because of a surge in energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining and a heavier use of natural gas in manufacturing and household sectors, which has caused power plants to operate at a lower capacity.
To help further stabilize the grid, TPPHC has started converting seven single-cycle power plants into combined-cycles after it received the green light of the government’s Economic Council in June.
The official said steam units in six gas-powered stations operated by the private sector will be converted at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion.
Giving a breakdown on the venture, Ramezani said the total volume of power generation of these plants, namely the Soltaniyeh Power Plant in Zanjan, Zagros Power Station in the western Kermanshah Province, Persian Gulf Power Plant in Hormozgan Province, Golestan and Semnan power plants in the namesake provinces, Khorramshahr facility in Khuzestan and Shahid Kaveh Power Plant in Khorasan Razavi Province, is less than 5,000 MW that will reach 7,500 MW after conversion.
Locally-Manufactured Equipment
The initiative will be undertaken in four years with the help of domestic engineers and locally-manufactured equipment.
According to Mahmoud Sadeqi, director of the power project at TPPHC, the second gas unit of Mahtab Kavir Power Plant has been connected to the national electricity network.
“With a capacity of 162 MW, the unit has been officially launched after a two-month trial operation,” he added.
The first gas unit of the plant became operational in May and a steam unit will be launched by the yearend.
Sadeqi noted that the power station helps supply electricity to southern and southeastern regions in the provinces of Kerman, Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan.
It is being constructed on a 52-hectare land, 20 kilometers from Zarand City, near the village of Aliabad. When fully operational, the combined-cycle power plant will have a total capacity of 484 MW.
