Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr. 16/ Trend F.Milad/
Construction of a large water desalination plant, with an output of 200 million cubic meters, started on Monday in the northern city of Sari, bordering the Caspian Sea, IRIB reported.
Energy Minister Majid Namjou said that the project kicked off in 2010 with the allocation of an initial budget of 20 trillion rials (some $1.6 billion).
Khatamol Anbiya Construction headquarters is the executor of the project, according to the report.
The first phase of transferring water from the Caspian Sea to Iran's central regions also started today. According to the plan, water will be transferred from Sari to the city of Semnan within 24 months.
Energy Minister Majid Namjou said on April 7 that the plan aims to provide the central provinces with water for industrial and agricultural purposes.
Once the plan comes on stream, some 500 million cubic meters of water will be transferred per annum, he added.
He said that the plan has been developed based on the idea of connecting the Caspian Sea, in the north, with the Persian Gulf, in the south.