Meshkinshahr Geothermal Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Meshkinshahr Geothermal Power Plant is a geothermal electricity
generation station situated near Meshkinshahr
, Iran. The plant which has a maximum electricity generation capacity of 250 MWh has been under construction since 2001 and came online in 2010, becoming Iran's first geothermal power plant. It uses steam formed by the injected water into specially drilled wells which can be more than 3,000 meters deep. The water is heated up, deep in the ground where temperature is above 250 degrees Celsius. The heated up water upon de-pressurization at the surface turns to steam which is then used to power steam turbine
s for electricity generation. The plant is being further expanded to provide geothermal heating
to areas in Ardabil Province
for both domestic as well as industrial purposes. As power plant is situated in touristic Sabalan
area, it is also hoped the non polluting nature of the plant will help to preserve the nature and attract more tourism to the area. In long term, Iran plans to use the gained experience with this power plant in installation of up to 12 other geothermal stations in the country.
Geothermal electricity
Geothermal electricity is electricity generated from geothermal energy.Technologies in use include dry steam power plants, flash steam power plants and binary cycle power plants...
generation station situated near Meshkinshahr
Meshkinshahr
Meshgin Shahr is a city in and the capital of Meshgin Shahr County, in Ardabil Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 61,296, in 14,920 families....
, Iran. The plant which has a maximum electricity generation capacity of 250 MWh has been under construction since 2001 and came online in 2010, becoming Iran's first geothermal power plant. It uses steam formed by the injected water into specially drilled wells which can be more than 3,000 meters deep. The water is heated up, deep in the ground where temperature is above 250 degrees Celsius. The heated up water upon de-pressurization at the surface turns to steam which is then used to power steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s for electricity generation. The plant is being further expanded to provide geothermal heating
Geothermal heating
Geothermal heating is the direct use of geothermal energy for heating applications. Humans have taken advantage of geothermal heat this way since the Paleolithic era. Approximately seventy countries made direct use of a total of 270 PJ of geothermal heating in 2004...
to areas in Ardabil Province
Ardabil Province
Ardabil Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north west of the country, bordering the Republic of Azerbaijan and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan, and Gilan. Its centre is the city of Ardabil...
for both domestic as well as industrial purposes. As power plant is situated in touristic Sabalan
Sabalan
Sabalan is an inactive stratovolcano in Ardabil province of northwestern Iran. It is the third highest mountain in Iran with a permanent crater lake formed at its summit. Sabalan has a ski resort and different tourist areas such as the Sarein spa...
area, it is also hoped the non polluting nature of the plant will help to preserve the nature and attract more tourism to the area. In long term, Iran plans to use the gained experience with this power plant in installation of up to 12 other geothermal stations in the country.
See also
- Geothermal power in Iran
- List of power stations in Iran
- International rankings of Iran