Publish Date: 7 September 2008 - 19:30

TEHRAN, Sept. 7 (MNA) — Iran’s Energy Ministry plans to construct dams and power plants in 10 countries, the deputy energy minister for water and wastewater affairs said here on Sunday.

“The Sangtudeh dam and its 220MW power plant in Tajikistan is one of the projects,” IRINN quoted Rasul Zargar as saying.

 

“Iran is also involved in a joint venture with Azerbaijan for building a dam and hydropower plant,” he said, adding that the project’s feasibility studies have been finished.

 

“Preliminary studies for the construction of a dam and hydropower plant on the Aras River in Armenia are being conducted,” Zargar stated.

 

The ground has been broken in a project to construct a power plant in Sri Lanka at an estimated cost of €520 million, he said.

 

The ministry also plans to build power stations in Syria and Iraq, he noted. Iran has already built the Doosti Dam northeast of Mashhad near the Turkmenistan-Iran border, the Anzab tunnel in Tajikistan, a wind power plant in Armenia, and the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline,” he stated.

 

Similar projects are underway in Pakistan and Mali, Zargar mentioned.

 

A letter of agreement has recently been inked with Turkey based on which Turkish investors will participate in the construction of a hydropower plant in Iran and will use the generated electricity in the BOT (build, operate, transfer) method.

 

MF/MG/MRK

END

MNA