THERAN - Iranian Energy Ministry expects its hydroelectric output to increase by some 30% in the year to March 2024 amid better precipitation that has led to increased water levels in reservoirs in the country.
A deputy head of Iran’s Water and Energy Resources Development Company said on Tuesday that electricity generation from hydroelectric dams in southwestern Khuzestan province would increase this calendar year with a rise in water levels in two main reservoirs in the region.
Vahid Izadi said that water levels at Gotvand Olya and Karun 4 dams had reached 85% of the capacity of the reservoirs, adding that power generation from the two hydroelectric stations would reach 2 gigawattts (GW) this calendar year.
Iran has four other hydroelectric dams with a total electricity generation capacity of 1.3 GW.
Izadi said a new hydroelectric station in Chamshir dam, a large reservoir located in southern Iran, would come on line in July with a capacity of 55 megawatts.
Iran has experienced better rainfalls in the water year that started in late September.
Energy Ministry figures released on Tuesday showed that water levels in dams across Iran had increased by 26% year on year in the seven months to late April to reach 30.8 billion cubic meters.
The Ministry said water reservoirs in Iran were 62% full in late April, a slight increase from a 61% figure reported in late March.