The Minister of Energy of Iran Reza Ardakanian announced the resumption of negotiations with Turkmenistan to increase imports of electricity, Orient news outlet reported on Monday with reference to Ilna.news.
“We resumed negotiations with Turkmenistan, and due to the interruption (in the negotiations - ed.), it was decided to import a significant amount of electricity from Turkmenistan,” Reza Ardakanian told reporters.
Turkmenistan and Iran are traditional partners in the purchase and sale, and transit of Turkmen electricity, according to the report. The supply of electricity from Turkmenistan to Iran began in 2003 through the 220 kW Balkanabat-Gonbad power transmission line.
In order to increase the export of Turkmen electricity, the country plans to reconstruct the power units of the Mary state power plant, build 400 kV Mary-Serakhs power transmission line to the Turkmenistan-Iran border, and extend similar line from the Balkanabat state power plant.
In 2020, Turkmenistan increased the value of its electricity exports by more than 2.4 times compared to 2019. The physical volume of supplies, according to the State Statistics Committee of the country, increased by 2.1 times.
Presently, the major buyers of Turkmen electricity are Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. In the near future, the country plans to increase its electricity supplies to the neighboring countries.
According to the industry’s development plan, annual electricity production in Turkmenistan should reach 33 billion kilowatt-hours by 2024. In order to achieve this goal, Turkmenistan modernizes the existing production facilities. In 2018, the country commissioned its first combined cycle power plant in Mary velayat.
