WORLD WIND ENERGY NET

Iran is planning to increase the power-generating capacity from wind power plants to 500 megawatts by 2010.

Announcing this managing director of Iran New Energies Organization said that based on target set in the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (2005-2010) Law, new wind power plants should be constructed to raise the electricity generating capacity to 500 megawatts by 2010, IRIBNews reported.

Yousef Armoudeli said over 35,000 megawatts of electricity are currently generated by wind power plants in the country.

He noted some 75 percent of electricity produced in the country is generated by wind farms in Manjil, northern Gilan province.

Some 100 turbines are currently operating in Manjil wind power plants and its wind farms, the official said, adding there is a wind power plant in Mashhad's Binaloud in northeastern Khorasan Razavi province as well.

He pledged that the capacities of Binaloud and Manjil power plants will increase by the year to March 2009, reaching 28 and 100 megawatts respectively.

Armoudeli called on tourists and local people to visit wind farms and turbines in the two cities to become familiar with their activities. Manjil wind power plant, Iran's first, was launched in 1999.

He earlier disclosed the country plans to build first private-funded wind power plant which will have the capacity to generate 200 megawatts of electricity.

A contract was signed between the organization and private investors on the construction of wind power plant.

Wind power is the world's fastest growing electricity generation technology since it is a renewable resource because it is inexhaustible.

Wind plants produce no air pollution. They use no water, and there is no need to tear up the land to extract the wind resource that produces wind power.