Iran is working on a major project to link its national power grid with Russia and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization through a transmission line in the east of the Caspian Sea, an official said.
In an interview with IRNA, the Iranian energy minister’s adviser in international affairs said efforts are underway to connect the country’s national power grid to Russia and other SCO member states through a transmission line passing through Turkmenistan.
Mohammad Ali Farahnakian said the decision to connect the power systems in Iran and the former Soviet republics was made at the recent Caspian Sea summit.
In order for the plan to be implemented, it is only necessary to construct the third transmission line between Iran and Turkmenistan, the second of which has already come into operation, he noted.
According to the adviser, Iran has completed the construction of the transmission line as far as the common border, and as soon as Turkmenistan embarks on the project, the power transmission capacity will rise by 200 percent.
Considering the possibility of connection of national grids in the former Soviet republic, a rise in the power transmission capacity will allow Iran to export its electricity from the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, he added.
Iran is holding consultations to allow for the connection of its national grid to those of the SCO member states through Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, Farahnakian concluded.
In recent years Iran has put greater emphasis on participation of domestic and foreign investors in the electricity generation sector, with projects underway to add 40,000 MWh more capacity to the national grid.
Energy officials say one of Iran’s policies is to turn the country into the region’s main energy hub.
Iran’s southern neighboring countries are located in a tropical area while the northern neighbors lie in cold, sometimes polar climates. Such a unique position has given Iran the opportunity to meet the energy demands of neighbors both in the summertime and wintertime.