Two gas-powered units of Mahtab Kavir combined-cycle power plant in Zarand County, Kerman Province, were synchronized with the national grid on Thursday, the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company’s director for planning said.
“The units, which added 324 megawatts of electricity to the grid, run on advanced F-Class turbines with an efficiency rate of 59%,” the Energy Ministry’s news portal also quoted Abdolrasoul Pishahang as saying.
The new facility is expected to help supply electricity to the south and southeastern regions in the three provinces of Kerman, Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan, he added.
The official noted that upon the completion of the steam unit, the station’s total capacity will reach 484 MW.
“Costing about $200 million, the plant was built on a 52-hectare land, 20 kilometers from Zarand City, near the village of Aliabad and created jobs for around 1,200 local people,” he said.
“All the main components and equipment of this complex, including turbines, generators, transformers and auxiliary equipment, are manufactured by domestic producers and companies.”
Highlighting domestic experts’ engineering prowess, Pishahang said Iran is among the top power plant builders in the world and negotiations are underway to build 25 thermal power stations in Russia with Iranian technology.
According to the official, Iran’s techno-engineering services exports in the electricity sector has witnessed a growth of 17% compared to those of 2016.
“Supporting domestic companies to increase the export of technical and engineering services tops the Energy Ministry’s agenda. Power services account for almost 60% of Iran's total exports of technical and engineering services,” he said.
Positive Contribution
The official noted that power industry has made a positive contribution to the export of technical and engineering services in the last decade.
“The ministry’s top priority is selling services to neighboring states, but Latin America and Africa also have untapped markets that can be lucrative for Iranian engineering firms,” he said.
Referring to Venezuela as a case in point, Pishahang said talks are underway to provide Caracas with thermal power plant maintenance services, in addition to implementing water and power station projects.
According to data published by the ministry, Iranian contractors have completed 100 energy projects overseas worth at least $5 billion over the last few years.
The official believes that Iran has the potential to become “one of the largest exporters of technical and engineering services in the Middle East”.
To manufacture power cables, copper and petrochemicals are required. Iran is rich in those raw materials. It sits on approximately 5% of the global copper deposits and can become a major petrochemical producer with its large oil and gas reserves.
According to Nasser Eskandari, a deputy manager at TPPHC, an estimated 270 billion kilowatt-hours of power have been produced in Iran’s 134 thermal power stations since March 2022.
“Of the total output, steam-powered plants, gas-powered stations and combined-cycle plants generated 84 billion kWh, 59 billion kWh and 127 billion kWh respectively in the period,” he added.
The official said thermal power facilities account for 93% of Iran’s total power demand in the summer, but when demand falls, the figure declines to 80%.
According to Eskandari, an estimated 359 billion kWh of power were produced in Iran in 2021, of which 91% were generated in thermal power stations.
TPPHC has signed at least 40 contracts with domestic manufacturers to indigenize much-needed parts and equipment in the power sector.
As per the agreement worth $30 million, knowledge-based firms have been tasked with producing a wide range of equipment, including turbine blades, retaining rings, rotors and compressors.
THPCC, a subsidiary of the Energy Ministry, manages dozens of fossil fuel power plants. It is also in charge of building 7,000 MW of gas-powered units for the Shiraz, Tabriz, Kashan, Urmia and Chabahar combined cycle power plants.
