New Russian Contractor to Build $1.2b Sirik Power Plant

EghtesadOnline: A new contractor has been appointed by Russia for the construction of a 1400-megawatt Power Plant in Sirik County, Hormozgan Province, the energy minister said in Tehran said Tuesday without naming the new contractor.

News ID: ۷۵۱۰۷۹

23 September 2020

Reza Ardakanian added that the Russian side finally decided to change the contractor and construction is expected to start within weeks, the Energy Ministry news portal Paven reported.

In 2016, Iran's Thermal Power Plants Holding Company signed a contract with Russia’s Technopromexport to build the power plant comprising four units of 350 MW each.

However, the project never saw the light of day. Ardakanian expressed the hope that with funding from the Russian Federation work would start by the new contractor in the coming weeks.

Sirik Power Plant is estimated to cost $1.2 billion. The Russian side has agreed to put up 85% of the cost and the rest will paid by Iran's Bank of Industry and Mine.

Construction of the thermal power station in the southern province will create 3,000 jobs and 500 more will work at the plant when the first unit goes on stream. The plant is planned to be completed in five years.

Sirik County overlooks the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea.

More Power for Hormozgan

Last week two gas units of Qeshm Combined Cycle Power Plant in Qeshm Island were synchronized with the national grid.

The units have 170 MW capacity each. A steam turbine with 160 MW capacity is also under construction.

Work on the construction of Hengam Combined-Cycle Power Plant in Bandar Abbas is underway as well and its two gas units will be launched by next March.

Hengam is among the first combined cycle plants to use F-class gas turbines that are defined by high performance, low power generation costs, long intervals between inspections, and a service-friendly design.

The gas units each have 307-MW capacity. A 292-MW steam unit will come online next year and total capacity will reach 906 MW. It is scheduled to be fully operational in 2021 and cost $560 million.

On completion, the plant will supply electricity to 150,000 homes in the southern province. The Hengam plant will have an efficiency rate of 59%, which is the highest for a plant with F-class turbines.

Thermal power plants in Hormozgan Province have installed capacity of over 3,000 MW and there are plans to increase output to 7,000 MW by 2024.