(MENAFN) During the initial nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-December 21), officials from Thermal Power Plants Holding (TPPH) reported that Iran's thermal power plants successfully generated over 280 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity.

Esmail Namazi, the director of TPPH’s Production and Technical Office, revealed that these thermal power plants constituted a substantial 93 percent of the total power generation in the country during this period, as reported by IRNA.

Out of the mentioned electricity generation, approximately 53 percent, equivalent to 150 million MWh, was contributed by combined cycle units. This represented a notable 3.5-percent increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

The electricity generation capacity of Iran’s thermal power plants experienced a noteworthy upswing of 1,035 megawatts (MW) in the past Iranian calendar year, which concluded on March 20, 1401. In the previous year, the thermal power industry not only undertook the construction of new power plant units but also initiated a program to augment the power generation capacity of existing plants.

Namazi elaborated that the capacity of the country's 286 thermal power plants increased by around 1,035 MW through the implementation of a strategic plan. This plan focused on expanding the number of gas and combined cycle units while alleviating constraints on thermal power plants.

More than two-thirds of Iran’s thermal power plants are currently owned and operated by the private sector, with private entities contributing to almost 67 percent of Iran’s thermal power generation.

Presently, a total of 478 thermal power plants are operational across Iran, encompassing both gas power plants and combined cycle facilities. Iran’s total power generation capacity stands at approximately 90,000 MW, with thermal power plants supplying over 90 percent of this capacity.

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