A new 10-MW solar power plant was inaugurated in Semnan by Iranian government officials, Mehr News Agency reported on August 10.

The Shahid Hamid Bakri solar plant – opened in the presence of Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Abbas Aliabadi – has an annual electricity generation capacity of up to 10 MW.

Following the cutting of the ribbon by the officials, which included a representative from the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei’s office, an announcement of the potential expansion of the power plant by another 10 MW will be part of phase two. 

Aliabadi stated that the delivery of the new power plant provides jobs for up to ten people from the local area, including maintenance and cleaning.

Given the number of sunny days in the northern province, the launch of such power plants could provide support for the industrial sector and spur further developments, Aliabadi said.

According to officials, more than IRR1.4 trillion ($28mn) has been invested in building the plant.

The Semnan inauguration comes weeks after another announcement by the current Raisi administration that it would create a new “solar park” in the northern province of Qazvin.

The term “solar park or town” is defined in Iran as a new area situated outside a city which is then populated with solar panels.

In December 2020, MANA Energy PAK commissioned the first solar cell factory in the country, with an estimated 150 MW capable of being produced by the company each year.

The company also said it had been able to produce 1.2 GW of multi- and monocrystalline wafers per year, the component that generates the power in panels.

Earlier the country indicated that it could produce 5,000 MW of renewable energy from rooftop solar power as part of an industry-backed scheme, Shargh on October 17 reported the vice chairman of the country’s Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Renewable Energy Goods and Services (SATKA) as saying.