Iran ready to triple electricity export to Pakistan: Iranian official

TEHRAN,Nov. 19 (MNA) -- Iran is ready to gradually triple its electricity exports to Pakistan in coming months, announced Iran’s Deputy Energy Minister Mohammad Behzad on Friday. "Iran exports 100 megawatts of electric power a day to Pakistan," Behzad told the Mehr news agency. "However,” he said, “Islamabad is seeking to increase this figure to 200 megawatts, and then to 1000 megawatts”. He said currently Iran produces 64,000 megawatts of electricity and it is exporting electricity to neighboring countries of Turkmenistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Pakistan. The deputy energy minister announced on October 25 that the value of Iran’s electricity exports will reach 1 billion dollars in the current Iranian calendar year which ends on March 19. "Iran's electricity exports and related technical and engineering services exports will reach $4 billion this year, of which the country's net electricity exports will be $1 billion,” Behzad explained. During the first half of the current year, Iran's electricity export to neighboring countries was 4 billion kwh (kilowatt hour). "Iran currently exchanges electricity with Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq," he added. “This year, the volume of Iran's electricity export to Iraq reached its highest rate," the deputy minister said. "The country (Iraq) imported 100 million kilowatt hour (electricity)." He added that Iran is currently negotiating with Turkey to increase electricity export.