Iran ups exports of electricity to neighbors

The ministry said on Thursday that the country has exported a total of 1,347 gigawatts per hour (GW/h) of electricity to the neighboring countries since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 20) up by 38.57 percent compared with the previous year. The report noted that the implementation of the Subsidy Reform Plan by Iran has contributed to the reduction of domestic power consumption, paving the way for more electricity exports to the neighboring countries. The Islamic Republic is currently exporting electricity to Armenia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier this month, a senior Iranian energy ministry official announced that the country\'s electricity exports have increased 40% since the beginning of the current Iranian year, and said Tehran has signed several contracts with the neighboring states to export electricity. Iran\'s Deputy Energy Minister for Electricity and Energy Affairs Mohammad Behzad said Iran is expected to export about10 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in the current Iranian year. He also said Iran has signed several contracts with its neighboring countries in this regard, which will help boost its electricity exports. Iran exported some 8.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity during the last Iranian year, which indicates a 29-percent increase in comparison with the corresponding period of the preceding year, he added.