“Upon the project’s completion, the progress of which depends on providing financial resources, the power plant will secure a minimum but reliable volume of electricity output,” Bahman Niki was also quoted as saying by ILNA on Monday.
Niki added that the power plant has obtained permits for building a 320-megawatt unit with hybrid cooling tower, for which a contract will be signed with MAPNA Group, Iran’s top engineering and energy enterprise, based on the engineering, procurement and construction management framework. Hybrid cooling towers represent a combination of wet and dry cooling while meeting stringent environmental standards.
According to Niki, Isfahan Power Plant was designed to use wet cooling towers, the water for which was provided by Zayanderud River, which has dried up, hence the plant will meet its water demand via wastewater treatment, Financial Tribune reported.
"The power plant faces serious challenges in generating electricity due to the plight of the river, which has significantly lowered water supply," he said. “Notwithstanding years of sustainable power production, Isfahan Power Plant’s electricity output cannot be accurately predicted and electricity is produced in proportion to the amount of water received.”
Niki noted that the plant has managed to considerably reduce water use by taking a number of measures.
Data from Iran Water Resources Management Company, a subsidiary of the Energy Ministry, show that since the beginning of the current water year (Sept. 23, 2017), the country has received 167 millimeters of precipitation, registering a drastic 30.7% fall compared to the same period of last year.