“Lebanon requires [an additional] 1,000 MW, which we consider it to be a small amount … given that we export around 25,000 MW and have a surplus production equal to around 6,000 MW. We can resolve this problem easily … as soon as possible with simple modifications,” Ghazanfar Roknabadi told reporters after meeting Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on Saturday.
Iran is currently exchanging electricity with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan and plans to add 5,000 megawatts of capacity annually to its power grid.
The statistics released by the Iranian Energy Ministry show that the country will be exporting up to USD 1 billion in electricity by March 2012.
Iran's total power generation capacity stands at 63,403 MW, while the total length of the power grid exceeds 780,000 km.
Roknabadi added that it would take less than six months to route electricity from Iran to Lebanon via Syria and about one year to build power stations capable of producing 1,000 MW.
The Islamic Republic's exchange of electricity with the neighboring countries reached 1,341 MW in late December 2010. The top exporter was Armenia with 237 megawatts, and the top importer of the Iranian electricity was Iraq with 650 megawatts.
Iran seeks to become a major regional exporter of electricity and has attracted more than USD 1.1 billion in investment to build three new power plants.
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Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon says Tehran is willing to help Beirut end its energy problems by supplying the country with electricity and building additional power plants.
News ID 181433
