Iran Ready to Build Power Plants in Other Countries

"We have had highly good achievements in the infrastructure sector; one of them is building power plants using our domestic capabilities and we have the potential to build them in other countries too, whose instance is in the neighboring country, Iraq," Jahangiri said in the Central city of Yazd today.

He stressed the importance of linking Iran's power grid to that of other regional states, including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey and Afghanistan and certain Persian Gulf Arab littoral states, and said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is capable of turning into the region's major power generation and distribution hub."

In relevant remarks in January, a senior official said Iran is mulling plans to boost power exchanges with the regional states, specially neighbors.

The energy ministry is planning to increase its electric power exchanges with regional countries, including Russia, Tajikistan and the Persian Gulf littoral states, Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Alireza Daemi said.

Iran is in pursuit of creating an electric power transmission network in the region, he added.

The Iranian energy ministry, based on its vision plan, is working toward turning the country into a strategic electric power hub, Daemi said.

"The current power grid network and the exchanges of electric power enable Iran to be connected to Georgia via Armenia's power grid and to Slovenia and Europe via Turkey," the deputy energy minister said.

Daemi said that presently Iran is exchanging electric power with seven countries, including Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq as well as the Nakhchivan.

Moreover, he said that Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan import electric power from Iran.