Private sector accounts for 40% of Iran’s electricity production

TEHRAN,June 3(MNA) – The Iranian private sector accounts for 40 percent of Iran’s total electricity generation, the Iranian deputy energy minister announced on Sunday. Some 700 trillion rials (about $57 billion) is being invested in the country’s power generation sector, the Fars News Agency quoted Mohammad Behzad as saying. He added that bulk of the investment is being made by the private sector. Iran exported 11.054 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to its neighboring countries in the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, showing 29 percent rise year on year. Iran also imported 3.968 billion kilowatt hours of electricity last year, up 8 percent compared to its preceding year. The country’s power generation capacity is currently at 68.38 gigawatts. Iran currently trades power with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan (including Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. Iran seeks to become a major regional exporter of electricity and has attracted more than $1.1 billion in investments for the construction of three new power plants.