Iran has boosted its power output in recent years and exported 7,668.9 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity to its neighbors since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2012).
Iran's power exports this year have been 39.22 percent higher compared to the same period a year ago when the country exported some 5,508.3 GWh of electricity to neighboring states.
Iran is currently exchanging electricity with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey.
Earlier in February, Iran's Energy Minister Majid Namjou said the country was planning to export electricity to Syria and Lebanon through Iraq’s power grid.
He added that Iran is capable of exporting 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Iraq, adding that Syria had also requested 500 MW of electricity.
Seeking to become a major regional exporter of electricity, Iran has attracted more than USD1.1 billion in investments to build three new power plants.
According to the Iranian energy minister, by the end of the 5th Economic Development Plan (2011-2015), Iran will boost its electricity generation capacity by 25 gigawatts to reach 73 gigawatts.
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