Pakistan intends to buy more power from Iran: envoy

 ISLAMABAD: A delegation from Islamabad will visit Iran to consider more cooperation in electricity and a proposal to buy more electricity from Iran, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tehran Asif Durrani said on Monday.

In a meeting with Iran Power and Water Industries Equipment and Services Export Company (Sunir) Managing Director Bahman Salehi, Durrani said that the Gwadar region needs more electricity, IRNA news agency reported.

Salehi said that during his visit in April 2016, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Pakistani counterpart have agreed to increase electricity exports to 3,000MW.

Sunir has the capability to increase electricity exports to 5,000MW, he added. The Iranian envoy underlined that cooperation to execute project to transfer electricity into Gwadar was signed before the West imposed sanctions against Iran, but it has not yet been implemented.

Deputy Head of Tehran Chamber Energy Commission Hamid Reza Salehi also said that Sunir has permission from Iran Power Generation and Transmission Company (Tavanir) to transfer 400MW to Pakistan and is ready to build the transmission line.

Pakistan has also authorised two banks to build connection with Sunir, but there is no indication for implementation of the project, he added. Pakistan Minister of Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif had already told IRNA that Iran is the best choice for Pakistan to import electricity, gas and oil. During its 22 years of activity, Sunir has commissioned more than 230 projects in different countries and now has 18 projects under implementation in 13 countries.