Iran first geothermal plant to be operational September 2017
Mount Sabalan, NW Iran (source: flickr/ Adam Jones, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
10 Oct 2016
Iran's first geothermal power plant, the 55 MW plant at Meshgin Shar in the Northwest of the country is expected to start operation in September 2017.
According to local news outlet, Iran expects its first geothermal power plant in Meshgin Shahr to be operational in less than a year from now. With big plans to move away from fossil fuel power generation, the country’s Minister for Energy Hamid Chitchian, said the country’s first geothermal power plant in Meshgin Shahr, Ardebil Province near the Azerbaijan border in the northwest, will be launched by September 2017.
The plant has a planned capacity of 5.5 MW and will be the first geothermal power plant in the Middle East. The wells for the plant have been drilled.
“Iran does not need foreign know-how, including from Iceland, New Zealand and the Philippines to drill wells for geothermal energy,” Chitchian said during a tour of the site of the power station late on Saturday.
“The plant’s turbine and generator are purchased from Italy and will be delivered in two months,” the minister noted.
The plant is located on the heights of the volcanic Sabalan Mountain in the geothermal-rich Ardebil region which attracts millions of tourists for its famed hot springs which are believed to have health benefits.
Source: Financial Tribune
