Iran Seeking Int'l Interaction through Electricity Exports, Energy Official Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Sattar Mahmoudi underlined that in addition to financial profits, the country’s electricity exports are aimed at boosting economic, cultural and social interaction with other countries.
“Excluding the revenues of exports of technical and engineering services in the power industry, the electricity exports earn the country about 900 million to one billion dollars each year,” Mahmoudi told the Tasnim News Agency.
However, he added, the objective behind electricity exports to other countries is not just wining financial benefits but boosting “economic, social, cultural and political exchanges”.
The Iranian deputy minister went on to say that the clear example of the policy can be seen in the case of electricity exports in Iraq, which has also boosted friendship between the peoples of the two neighboring countries.
Earlier in November, Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian had told Tasnim that plans have been devised to increase the country's electricity generation and boost exports to neighboring countries given their “growing demands” for the purchase of Iran's electricity.
The minister noted that Iran can now swap electricity with all of its neighboring states with which it shares border.
According to Chitchian, Iran’s nominal capacity for power production currently stands at more than 73,000 megawatts.
Iran is now exporting around 12 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity to its neighbors each year, while the imports stand at an annual level of 4 billion kWh, the minister explained.
The Iranian officials had already unveiled plans to turn the country into the region’s energy hub, given its strategic geographical position, great capabilities in manufacturing power plants and suitable grounds for electricity exchange with the neighbors.
