IranMania, Iran
Jan 5 2005

Khatami lauds progress in electricity industry

LONDON, Jan 5 (IranMania) – President Mohammad Khatami said Tuesday
that it is imponderable to think of of life in today`s world without
electricity.

Speaking in ceremonies commemorating he 100th years of electricity
industry in Iran, he added that an important barometer of country`s
economic development is its production and consumption of electricity
as the most important category of energy.

The electricity production and consumption has grown by five and
eight-folds after victory of Islamic revolution which is a token of
far-reaching development.

He acknowledged that despite the rise in level of electricity
consumption as indicative of progress in industrial production and
availability, throughout the society its unfettered consumption has
to be reined in.

He also referred the a qualitative progress in the sector saying that
although 75 percent self-sufficiency in electricity is
impressive, “but, we are still need to take more technical progress.”

He further thanked the Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and other
officials in the sector on the sector`s performance as a source of
government`s pride.

Khatami handed out prizes and plaques of appreciations to 15 pioneers
in the domestic electricity industry.

Electricity production of the country is expected to increase by
3,000 megawatts in 1384 (starting March 21, 2005), the deputy
minister for electricity said in November.

Talking to IRNA, Mohammad Ahmadian, who is also managing director of
the national power generation and distribution company TAVANIR, added
that implementation of new projects will raise the country`s
electricity capacity.

Ahmadian predicted that electrical consumption will also increase in
the next Iranian year.

He said that electrical consumption reached a peak of 29,000
megawatts in the past summer (June 21-September 22).

He said that there would be no problem in meeting the electricity
demands of the country if the fuel needed by power plants were
readily available.

Alluding to the electricity swaps with Azerbaijan, Armenia and
Turkmenistan, Ahmadian said that Iran imports more energy from these
countries that what it exports.

Iran exports 950 mln kw/h electricity to Armenia and Azerbaijan
annually, he added.

He said it imports 1.5 bln kw/h electricity annually from other
sources.