Iran and Germany have signed a contract for the construction of a wind farm and two photovoltaic power plants in Arvand Free Trade Zone in southwest Iran.
Iranian media quoted Managing Director of Arvand Free Trade Zone Esmaeil Zamani as saying on Wednesday that the wind farm will be able to generate 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity while the photovoltaic power plants will produce 40 MW of electricity.
He added that the project will be implemented through Germany’s investment in cooperation with Iran's private sector and will see the first wind farm built by Iranian private companies.
“This contract has been signed for the purpose of attracting foreign investment and to promote the use of renewable forms of energy in the region,” he added.
Zamani stated that in the first phase of the project, a total amount of 130,000 MW per year of power will be generated by 30 wind turbines that will be installed within the geographical limits of the Arvand Free Trade Zone.
The official noted that the first phase of the wind farm project includes construction of a 48-MW power plant in a period of less than 18 months while the second phase will see construction of the rest of the wind farm, which will produce 58 MW of electricity and is scheduled to be made operational by 2019.
According to Zamani, the private company investing in this project on behalf of Germany will also build a 20-MW solar plant through installation of photovoltaic panels over an area of 50 hectares that will cost 20.8 million euros and create 60 direct jobs.
“This will be followed with the construction of another solar power plant with the capacity of 20 MW over an area of 40 hectares, which will cost 23.4 million euros and create jobs for 40 people,” he said.
Dr. Frank Riesbeck, the German investor in the project, said for his part that turbines used in this project will be state-of-the-art and imported from Germany at an estimated cost of 40.4 million euros.
“When the construction is underway, the project will create direct jobs for 100 people and after the wind farm is commissioned, it will create 20 direct jobs,” he added.
Riesbeck stated that plans have been made to generate 300 MW of electricity in the cities of Abadan and Mahshahr in Khuzestan Province between 2016 and 2019.