TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Ministry has inaugurated 150 megawatts of solar power plants across eight provinces, most of them in 3.0 MW units, Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said at a ceremony marking Government Week.

He said 854 solar projects in capacities ranging from 10 to 20 MW, and even up to 2,000 MW, are under development. Among them is a planned 2,000 MW solar power plant valued at 2.68 quadrillion rials (about $5.4 billion), which will rely on domestic technical and scientific capabilities. Construction has also begun on a 200 MW solar project in Bushehr Province.

Before the latest launch, 176 MW of solar capacity had been connected to the grid. With the new projects, operational capacity has risen to more than 216 MW, officials said.

At the groundbreaking of the 100 MW Amir Kabir solar plant, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said the initiative marked a national movement toward clean energy, with entrepreneurs and investors at the forefront.

He stressed the national target of 5,000 MW of solar generation in Markazi Province and nationwide, calling it essential for reducing environmental pollution and improving living standards.

Momeni praised private-sector investors and urged authorities to clear bureaucratic hurdles that slow projects. He described the solar expansion as a product of national solidarity, comparing entrepreneurs and industrialists driving renewable energy to soldiers defending the country in past wars.

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Photo: Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi talking to the press at a ceremony marking Government Week.