BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 12. Iran’s thermal power plants have increased their electricity generation capacity by 2,450 megawatts over the past year.
This was announced by the country’s Ministry of Energy, citing Deputy Minister of Energy Rajabi Mashhadi’s remarks during his visit to the Tehran Power Plant, where he reviewed the facility’s operations and its electricity generation capacity.
According to the ministry, he added that ensuring electricity supply for citizens remained a top priority despite challenges related to power shortages during peak consumption periods.
"Despite the problems related to electricity supply during peak demand hours, meeting citizens’ electricity needs has remained our primary focus. In this regard, the development of the country’s power generation capacity has reached an appropriate level. Statistics from the past year show that 2,450 megawatts have been added to the national grid through thermal power plants," he said.
The deputy minister noted that seven of the newly added power units are steam units, which do not require additional energy input to generate electricity.
Rajabi Mashhadi added that, alongside commissioning new power plants, efforts have focused on removing obstacles facing existing steam units and increasing gas turbine production capacity. As a result, an additional 500 megawatts of electricity has been added to the national grid.
He also said that 2,000 kilometers of high-voltage power transmission lines had been commissioned over the past year. According to him, this demonstrates that Iran’s Energy Ministry is taking significant steps not only to increase electricity generation but also to strengthen transmission infrastructure.
Iran’s thermal power plants currently have a generation capacity of more than 79,000 megawatts, accounting for over 78% of the country’s total electricity generation capacity. Combined-cycle units account for 38,200 megawatts, gas units for 25,100 megawatts, and steam units for 15,800 megawatts.
According to Trend’s analysis, the 2,450-megawatt increase in Iran’s thermal power generation capacity over one year is a positive indicator for strengthening the country’s electricity supply system. The commissioning of seven new steam units that do not require additional fuel consumption, along with the addition of another 500 megawatts through existing capacities, points to improved energy efficiency. In addition, the launch of 2,000 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines will help ensure more reliable delivery of generated electricity to consumption centers. Together, these measures could strengthen the resilience of Iran’s power grid, reduce shortages during peak demand periods, and create conditions for more stable electricity supply for industrial and economic activity in the future.
Previously, Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Demirchilou, told Trend that the details of synchronizing the electrical grids of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia are currently being worked out.
According to him, the leadership level in the three countries has an agreement on the exchange of electricity.
Demirchilou said that the Iranian Monenco company has completed research work on this exchange of electricity and has prepared and submitted its reports to the parties.
