Iran has saved more than 1.51 billion liters of fuel this year (since March 21) through the expansion of renewable energy projects and increased output from hydropower plants, a senior Energy Ministry official said.
According to the Energy Ministry's news service, Deputy Energy Minister for Electricity and Energy Mostafa Rajabi-Mashhadi said the country's renewable energy sector has experienced unprecedented growth under the current administration. Since the government took office, the capacity of renewable power projects under development has quadrupled, and the expansion is continuing, he said.
Rajabi-Mashhadi noted that greater electricity generation from renewable sources has significantly reduced fuel consumption. He added that the strong performance of hydropower plants has also played a major role, saving an estimated 1.21 billion liters of fuel.
He said 1,200 megawatts of steam-cycle capacity have been added to the country's combined-cycle power plants since the start of the administration, increasing electricity generation without requiring additional fuel consumption.
Combined-cycle plants remain the most efficient power generation facilities in Iran, Rajabi Mashhadi said, adding that the new capacity has raised the average efficiency of the country's thermal power plants by 0.5 percentage points.
The efficiency gains are expected to save an additional 1.2 billion liters of fuel by the end of the year, he said.
Rajabi-Mashhadi said the government's strategy for the electricity sector focuses on expanding generation capacity through higher efficiency, completing key infrastructure projects and accelerating the development of clean energy. He said the approach is designed to strengthen the country's energy security while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.