Iranian eyes on bolstering electric energy exchange with neighbors
Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company “Tavanir” plans to expand country’s electric trade with its neighboring countries on northwest, west and east, stated Seyyed Zaman Hosseini, deputy manager of the company, in interview with IRNA. According to existing deals, Iran swaps electric energy with Armenia and Azerbaijan in winter and imports it when domestic demand jumps in summer. "Iran's top electricity buyer is Iraq, yet its power exchange with Turkmenistan outweighs that of other countries, namely Armenia and Azerbaijan," stressed Seyyed Zaman Hosseini. The official said Tavanir is aimed at increasing electricity supply to other countries and harmonizing electricity grids with regional countries. As of today, Iran’s electricity generation installed capacity is over 77,000-MW. At the end of last year five new steam units and two gas units became operational at several power stations adding 800 MW to total generation. There are also plant to construct 20 stations to add 3,252 MW of new power capacity to the national grid by May 2018. Iran annually export 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electric energy. That is three times more than imports. The country ranks 14th in the world in terms of electric energy production and 18th in terms of consumption.
