“An additional 386 projects in the water and power sectors are also under construction in the province,” he said, adding that they are expected to be completed in two years at a cost of $540 million, the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven reported.
Addressing the ceremony for the inauguration of the 10 MW solar power plant in Eqlid County, Fars Province, on Monday, Ardakanian said currently 115 plants with a total capacity of 750 MW are generating clean energy in the country.
“A total of 300 MW of renewable energy will be linked to the national power grid by the end of the current fiscal year [March 19, 2020],” Financial Tribune quoted him as saying.
“New energies are one of the priorities of the government and the Energy Ministry. About 80% of Iran’s renewable power plants have been launched in the past six years and this trend will continue.”
The minister noted that the expansion of the country’s renewable energy capacity, including wind and solar power, requires the mobilization of human and financial resources.
According to Ardakanian, a major part of the equipment needed for the construction of solar power plants are now produced domestically.
Built on 20 hectares, Eqlid Solar Power Plant is an undertaking of the private sector, which can generate 16 gigawatt hours of electricity per annum and help reduce fossil fuel and water consumption.
If the same amount of energy were to be produced by a thermal power plant, it would annually require 5.64 million cubic meters of natural gas and 4,372 liters of water.
The solar plant will also help cut the emission of 13,712 tons of greenhouse gases a year.
Due to its location, Fars Province has a high potential for absorbing solar energy and the total capacity of its solar power plants has reached 48.58 MW.
223rd Wastewater Treatment Plant
In his two-day trip to Fars, Ardakanian launched several projects, including Noorabad Wastewater Treatment Plant in Noorabad town of Mamasani County.
With a capacity of treating 7,600 cubic meters of wastewaters per day, the plant serves a population of 8,200 people.
Being the 223rd wastewater treatment plant in the country, it is equipped with modern facilities and machinery, and its treated water is used for agricultural purposes.
The cooling system of Kazeroun Combined Cycle Power Plant in Kazeroun County was another project launched during the minister’s visit.
With the aim of increasing the production capacity of gas units and meeting rising electricity demand in the summer, the system can help add 65 MW to the plant capacity.
The power plant has four gas units and three steams units with a total generation capacity of 1,373 MW. It is the third largest power plant in Iran, which generates part of the electricity required by Fars Province.
An underground 230/66 kilovolt gas-insulated substation (GIS) was inaugurated in Shiraz.
A GIS is a high voltage substation in which the major structure is sealed with sulfur hexafluoride gas as the insulating medium. It is mostly used where real estate is expensive or not available.
The technology originated in Japan where there was a substantial need to develop technology to make substations as compact as possible.
The project will help increase the reliability of power grids in Shiraz and reduce electricity wastage.
In a GIS, active parts, including transformers and feeders, are protected from corrosion emanating from exposure to atmospheric air, moisture, contamination and sand.
Gas-insulated substations also offer other advantages. As a substation is enclosed in a building, a GIS is less sensitive to pollution, as well as salt, sand or large amounts of snow. Although the initial cost of putting up a GIS is higher than building an air-insulated substation, its operation and maintenance costs are low.
Jahrom Power Plant Raises Capacity
On Tuesday, the first and second steam units of Jahrom Combined Cycle Power Plant in Jahrom County were inaugurated in the presence of Ardakanian and First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri.
The steam units have a capacity of 320 MW and, together and the third one, will come on stream next year.
Jahrom’s power plant already had six gas units, each with a capacity of 160 MW (totalling 960 MW) and when three other steam units become operational, an additional 480 MW will be added to its capacity.
The conversion of the plant to combined cycle is in line with the plan to convert simple-cycle plants into combined-cycle ones.
A combined-cycle power plant uses both gas and steam turbines to produce up to 50% more electricity from the same fuel input than a traditional plant. The waste heat from the gas turbine is routed to a nearby steam turbine that, in turn, generates more power.
The launch of the third steam unit in Jahrom will help save the plant as much as 700 million cubic meters of natural gas worth $125 million annually.
In recent years, effective steps have been taken to convert conventional plants into combined-cycle ones to improve efficiency and reduce pollution and costs.