Iran OKs electricity exports for foreign companies

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The Iranian government, for the first time, is permitting foreign companies to export surplus electricity generated in the country.

Deputy Minister of Energy of Iran Alireza Daemi said Germany, Italy and South Korea have expressed interest in the construction of power plants in Iran, Mehr news agency reported.

Major South Korean companies began fresh talks for cooperation with Iran’s power generation industries.German and Italian companies have also indicated their interest to build power plants in Iran, including renewable energy facilities.

Daemi said representatives of South Korean companies met with representatives of Iran’senergy ministry on October 6 in Tehran, adding that they would be permitted to export some of the electricity produced to neighboring countries.

The executives of Hyundai and Daewoo engineering and construction companies and other private builders such as Daelim Industrial Company visited Tehran last month along with the South Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoo Il-ho.

Daemi added that an agreement on the implementation of joint projects in the country was also reached with South Korean companies.

He went on to say that at the moment, 80 projects are being carried out around the world together with the Iranian companies, and the implementation of new joint projects with South Korea will be beneficial to both sides – as Iran has great potential in the field of wind and solar energy, while the South Korea has advanced technologies and expertise in this area.

Iran and Germany also signed a contract for the construction of a wind farm and two photovoltaic power plants in Arvand Free Trade Zone in southwest Iran.

Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian said then the deal was in line with Iran’s bid to add up to 37,000 megawatts to its national power grid.

Italy’s Fata, the engineering unit of the country’s leading industrial group Finmeccanica, also signed a 500 million euro ($543 million) contract with Ghadir Investment Company to build a power plant in Iran.

Iran is the biggest producer of electricity in the Middle East, generating over 70,000 megawatt-hours.