The Iranian Energy Ministry said in a Monday statement that it had inaugurated the 160 megawatt (MW) steam unit in the Qadir Combined-Cycle Power Plant in Qeshm.
It said the construction of the power plant unit had cost 180 million euros ($211 million), adding that it will create 150 permanent jobs in the region.
Iran has invested heavily in recent years to upgrade its traditional gas-fired power plants to turn them into combined-cycle systems.
The Qadir plant had two gas-fired electricity generation units with a total capacity of 340 MW. The newly-opened unit will use exhaust heat from combustion turbines in the gas-fired units to raise steam for electricity generation.
Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi hailed the launch of the electricity station as an environmental achievement, saying the plant’s use of exhaust heat will help save up to 400 million cubic meters per year in natural gas supplies.
The new power plant unit is expected to significantly boost energy supplies to industries controlled by its state-run owner, the Ghadir Investment Company, in the southern provinces of Hormozgan, Fars, and Bushehr. It will also supply electricity to a major water desalination plant being built in Qeshm.
The plant has been constructed using Iranian-made turbines and other equipment, a sign that the country is well capable of modernizing and expanding its massive electricity sector despite sanctions that hamper its access to foreign technology and investment.
Press TV