According to Khabar Online, investment in renewable energy has become one of the new axes of the capital market in a situation where the imbalance of electricity and gas, the limitation of energy supply to industries and the increase in electricity demand have highlighted the necessity of developing new power plants more than in the past. In this regard, the meeting to introduce investment opportunities in Solar Fund, the first solar power plant project fund in the capital market, was held with the presence of managers of this fund and activists in the field of renewable energy. A meeting in which the details of the construction of two solar power plants in Sistan-Baluchistan, the required financial resources, the timing of operation and the prospect of investment returns in this project were explained.
The country’s first solar power plant project fund has started its activity with the aim of building two 20 MW power plants in Sistan and Baluchistan province. The projects for which the total investment required for their construction is estimated to be around 3 Hamats and according to the fund managers, they are going to be put into operation by August of next year.
In the meeting to introduce investment opportunities in the Solar Fund, the first solar power plant project fund in the capital market, Hossein Naraghi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Solar Fund and project leader, explained the latest status of these projects and said: Two power plant projects have been defined in the north of Sistan-Baluchistan province, each with a capacity of 20 megawatts. According to him, this region is one of the most suitable regions of the country for the development of solar power plants due to having the right sunlight, the right altitude and the right geographical conditions.
Pointing out that both projects have received the necessary permits and their equipment orders have been completed, Naraghi stated: The process of obtaining permits and placing orders took about a year, but simultaneously with the subscription of the fund and the provision of the first thousand billion tomans of financial resources, the necessary currency allocation for both projects was also carried out. This coordination made the process of implementing the plans to speed up.
He emphasized that both projects are currently ahead of schedule. The Mirjaveh project has made more progress in terms of implementation, and the Khash project is being pursued with a slight delay. According to the planning, the main equipment will be installed in the project site from January and both power plants are expected to be operational by August next year.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Solar Fund also explained about the cost of implementing these plans: the cost of building each megawatt power plant in this project is about 380 thousand dollars, and the total investment needed to build 40 megawatts of power plant capacity is estimated at about 3 Hamats. He also said that the cost of building each solar power plant is usually about 110 billion tomans, but due to the conditions and implementation structure of these projects, their cost has reached about 70 to 75 billion tomans for each power plant.
tax exemption 13 per year for solar power plants in Sistan and Baluchistan province
One of the topics raised in this meeting was the advantages of investing in Sistan-Baluchistan province. Referring to the location of the projects in deprived areas, Naraghi said: According to the existing laws, these projects have 10 years of tax exemption and three years of incentive exemption. Therefore, their total tax exemption period reaches 13 years.
According to him, this issue, along with the high capacity of solar radiation, has been one of the main factors in choosing the location of the projects. Proximity to power stations with sufficient capacity is also considered as another criteria for locating power plants; Because if independent investment is required for the construction or development of the power station, the project implementation cost will increase significantly.
Naraghi also explained about the provision of equipment and concerns related to the import of solar panels, that about 6.3 million dollars of the total 11 million dollars of the project’s foreign exchange cost has been provided at the rate of 156 thousand tomans. According to him, an important part of the required equipment has been provided and the use of safe routes, including rail transport, has been put on the agenda for the transfer of panels.
In response to a question about investment security in Sistan-Baluchistan, he emphasized that, contrary to some perceptions, the implementation of the project in this region has not faced security problems. According to Naraghi, the use of local forces and the cooperation of local people have played an important role in advancing the project.
energy imbalance; The attractive factor of investing in green electricity
Vahid Hasanpour, the CEO of Farabi Basket, also explained the reasons for entering this project and said in this meeting: the field of energy and especially the electricity industry is very attractive for investment in the current situation. On the one hand, the country is facing an electricity deficit, and on the other hand, economic growth and the development of industrial activities lead to an increase in energy demand. These conditions can provide a good basis for the return of investment in new power plants.
He considered the short time interval between investment and exploitation as another advantage of this project and said that in some economic plans it may take two to three years for the investment to reach the yield stage, but in solar projects this period can be about one year.
Hassanpour also pointed to the structure of the project fund and explained that the choice of this model was made due to the operational and economic features of the plan. According to him, this method allows investors to participate in the project, and considering the risk and expected return, it was a suitable option for financing this project.
Obligation of industries to buy green electricity and efficiency perspective
Mohammad Amin Zanganeh, Secretary of the Renewable Energy Association, also mentioned in this meeting, referring to the dimensions of energy imbalance in the country: According to the statistics of the Ministry of Energy, the amount of electricity imbalance in the summer season reaches about 15 thousand megawatts, equivalent to 15% of the country’s required electricity.
Referring to the gas supply limitation and its effect on electricity production, he added: In order to avoid power outages, industries are forced to supply energy from alternative routes, and this issue has increased the demand for green electricity.
Zanganeh also pointed to the legal requirements for the purchase of renewable electricity by industries and said that according to the set plan, the share of green electricity purchases by industries should reach 15% by 1407. Otherwise, their fuel costs will be calculated based on global rates. According to him, the combination of electricity and gas mismatch with these legal requirements can create a sustainable demand for renewable electricity.
Explaining the methods of selling electricity, he also said that power plants can supply their produced electricity through the guaranteed purchase of the Ministry of Energy or enter the green panel of the Energy Exchange. It is also possible to conclude a direct contract with electricity consuming industries.
In this meeting, the investment development capacity in other renewable energy sectors, including wind power plants, was emphasized. The managers of the Solar Fund believe that the geographic location, proper radiation, tax exemptions and access to the electricity network have made Sistan-Baluchistan one of the areas prone to the development of these types of investments.
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