Iran on Tuesday inaugurated 25 water and power industry projects in Tehran and four other provinces worth over $1.7bln.
The projects were inaugurated in the presence of Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian via video conference on Tuesday.
“227 projects with (nearly) $8.2bln worth of investment have been launched in the current (Iranian) year (to end on March 19), including the 25 projects which were launched today in Tehran, Hormozgan, Sistan and Balouchestan, Bushehr and Fars provinces with over $1.7bln of funding,” he said.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced in January that 133 water and power projects worth over $4.7 billion had been opened throughout the country in the last four months.
"Opening 133 important water and power projects in 22 provinces with a value of over 20 trillion tomans [over $4.7 billion] in less than four months displays Iranian people and government’s power,” Rouhani said at the opening ceremony for a water treatment plant and electricity projects in Tehran province, on January 28.
As of 2018, hydroelectric power comprises more than 15 percent of Iran’s total installed electricity capacity, or about 12,000 megawatts (MW). Iran’s total capacity is roughly 80,000 MW, making it the second-largest electricity producer in the Caspian region after Russia, which produces almost 225,000 MW.
Officials are trying to expand Iran’s energy output. As the most populous country in the region, with almost 85 million residents, Iran is poised to consume more power in the coming years. In 2019, the energy ministry announced its intent to launch 22 new power plants, with a total capacity of 3,933 MW, and upgrade existing ones