Iran opens 250 MW of new solar plants
Iran has expanded its renewables capacity by opening 250 megawatts (MW) of new solar power plants.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used a video link to open the solar plants on Saturday as he ordered the start of works on building another 450 MW of new plants across the country.
Pezeshkian said his government had adopted various measures to facilitate the building of solar plants in Iran, including easier rules for imports of solar panels from other countries.
He hailed the massive environmental impacts of building solar power plants in Iran, adding that the country needs to build more solar plants in its south, where demand for electricity is rising because of development projects along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
The plants opened on Saturday brought the renewables capacity in Iran to 2,550 MW, with solar accounting for 2,030 of the total capacity, according to Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi.
Aliabadi said that Iran is speeding up operations to build solar plants, adding that the country would add 100 MW of new solar capacity each week.
He said the government and private investors had spent some 75 trillion rials (over $68 million) on the power plants opened on Saturday.
The minister said renewable electricity is now capable of powering nearly 150,000 homes in Iran, adding that renewables currently account for more than 2.5% of Iran’s total electricity generation capacity.
The acceleration of solar projects in Iran comes amid a growing supply of equipment and devices from China.
Reports published last month showed that Iran’s sovereign wealth fund had committed to payments to China for the supply of 7 gigawatts (GW), or 7,000 MW, of solar panels to the country.
Iran has also earmarked $1.5 billion worth of foreign currency loans to help expand solar power deployment in the country.
Iranian Energy Ministry forecasts show that the country’s renewables capacity would increase by 25 times in the next three years to reach nearly 30 GW.
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