14 power plants in the country ready to use low-sulfur diesel in winter

According to Energy Press, based on assessments, out of 149 existing thermal power plants, only 14 are equipped with the necessary systems to use diesel fuel, and the other units depend on diesel during gas restrictions. A significant part of the network’s readiness also comes down to replenishing fuel reserves; according to Nasser Eskandari, Deputy Director of Production Management at the Thermal Power Company, the capacity of the power plants’ fuel tanks is more than 91 percent full, and coherent planning has been made to get through the cold months of the year. According to him, in the field of fuel management, special attention has been paid to the quality of diesel fuel. This year, the fuel delivered to steam power plants was in accordance with the new standard and with less than 0.8 percent sulfur; an issue that has significantly reduced concerns about diesel pollution if its use is limited. In addition, plans to use LPG as an alternative fuel are also being implemented, so that if successful, a new option will be provided in times of gas shortage. In the efficiency sector, assessments by the electricity industry show that the readiness of the country’s power plants is still higher than the global standard, and their average efficiency has reached 39.7 percent. However, to achieve the goals of the Seventh Development Plan, this figure must be increased to 44 percent and new power plants with an efficiency of 55 percent must be built. For this purpose, the development of the steam sector of combined cycle power plants has been put on the agenda, and 33 steam units with a total capacity of about 5,300 megawatts are being pursued with the support of the National Development Fund and the Planning and Budget Organization. The issue of renovating worn-out power plants is also an important axis of the electricity industry. About 7,000 megawatts of the country’s thermal capacity operates in old units with low efficiency, and a plan has been developed to replace these units.