Iran to boost power exports to Turkey
Press TV- An Iranian energy official says the Islamic Republic is projected to export as much as 500 megawatts of electricity to neighboring Turkey in the near future.
Iran's Deputy Energy Minister for Electricity and Energy Affairs Abdulhamid Farzam Behboudi said on Tuesday that the capacity of newly-installed 230-kilovolt electricity transfer line in the northwest of Iran will increase to 400 kilovolts by late May.
He added that the completion and commissioning of new transfer lines will increase Iran’s electricity export capacity to Turkey to more than 400 MW per hour from the current figure of 200 MW per hour.
Iran had a total annual electricity generation capacity of 53,000 MW before 2009, which has now exceeded 60,000 MW as a result of the country’s plan to add 5,000 megawatts of capacity to the grid annually.
Seeking to become a major regional exporter of electricity, Iran has attracted more than $1.1 billion in investments to build three new power plants.
By the end of the 5th Economic Development Plan (2010-2015), Iran will boost its electricity generation capacity by 25GW to reach 73GW, Iran's Energy Minister Majid Namjou said on February 7.