Exporting electricity – a review of Iran’s experience on water and energy development within a regional perspective
Farshad Amiraslani, Deirdre Dragovich
Abstract
In developing countries, electricity and water supply are strategic challenges arising from growing demand due to increasing populations and modernization of households . This review paper focuses on Iran as a dryland country that has strived to maintain water resources, generate electricity for domestic purposes and even export electricity. It addresses a scientific gap in the existing literature that has paid limited attention to the intertwined geographical, geopolitical, infrastructure and workforce elements in Iran’s development of electricity generation. This review also seeks to link domestic energy production to politically focused regional considerations. It highlights the factors and policies enabling Iran to export its generated electricity. Water conservation and energy generation/electricity can be viewed as complementary when considered within the scenario of hydropower which depends on the presence of large dams. Iran’s emphasis on economic advancement in earlier years involved the development of water and energy infrastructure which, decades later, provided opportunities for exporting electricity to neighboring countries. The earlier sole focus on economic development has gradually shifted toward a greater concern for sustainable economic development. Both environmental and political issues are relevant if Iran wants to continue maintaining its water resources, generating hydropower, and exporting its electricity in the region