TEHRAN - Iran has set a target to increase its solar power generation capacity to 4,000 megawatts (MW) by March 2026 as part of its efforts to promote renewable energy development.
Energy Minister Abbas Ali-Abadi stated that the country's electricity grid has an annual production and consumption capacity of approximately 350 billion kilowatt-hours, with technical potential to harness over 30,000 MW of solar energy.
"We are working to realize this potential through cooperation with the private sector and creating an attractive investment environment, as well as a conducive market for investors. Significant contracts have been signed in this area since the beginning of our administration," said Ali-Abadi.
Currently, Iran's solar power capacity stands at 1,200 MW. With the planned increase, this capacity is expected to exceed 3,000 to 4,000 MW next year, marking a significant milestone in Iran's energy transition.
According to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization of Iran (SATBA), the country's renewable energy generation capacity is projected to increase by 500 MW by the end of the Iranian calendar year on March 20, 2025.
Ali Shabnavard, Director General of Development and Production Monitoring at SATBA, noted, "Considering the new plants under construction, the renewable energy capacity will increase by 500 MW by the end of this year."
Iran's current nominal renewable energy capacity is 1,371 MW, with an additional 53 MW recently integrated in the last week.
The Iranian Ministry of Energy is also targeting an additional 10,000 MW for renewable energy generation by the end of 2025.
In January 2022, the Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private contractors for the construction of renewable energy plants across the country.
Meanwhile, SATBA Chief Mahmoud Kamani revealed in July that there are currently 600 renewable energy plants under construction with a total capacity of 13,500 MW. Once operational, the share of renewable energy in Iran's electricity production is expected to reach 15 percent within the next two years.
Kamani expressed hope that with the implementation of these power plants, the share of renewable energy in Iran's electricity production will exceed 15 percent in the coming two years.
This initiative demonstrates the Iranian government's strong commitment to addressing the imbalance between electricity supply and demand through the development of renewable energy.