Tabas power station

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Tabas power station (نیروگاه حرارتی طبس) is a power station under construction in Tabas, Khorasan, Iran.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Tabas power station	Tabas, Khorasan, Iran	33.227766, 56.24132 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

Loading map...

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2: 33.227766, 56.24132

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Unit 1	construction	coal: unknown	325	unknown	2024 (planned)
Unit 2	construction	coal: unknown	325	unknown	2024 (planned)

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	Iranian Electricity Production, Transmission and Distribution Management JSC [100%]	Saba Power and Energy Group [100.0%]
Unit 2	Iranian Electricity Production, Transmission and Distribution Management JSC [100%]	Saba Power and Energy Group [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Mazino Coal Mine

Background

Location uncertainty

Site preparation or construction appeared slow and stalled for many years, so the power station was presumed shelved or cancelled. However, in 2021, a senior energy official said the units were still "on the agenda" and expected to join the national grid by 2024, and in 2023, work on the plant was reportedly on track.

The map above may center at or near the construction site for the power station. Initial construction work may be reflected in recent Planet satellite imagery (2023). Google Maps lists the project 5 kilometers East, but there is no clear activity at the location.

The project is proposed 85 kilometers of the city of Tabas and in proximity to the Mazino Coal Mine.

Project history

The plant was proposed as Iran's first coal power generation plant. Construction of the plant in Tabas commenced in 2000. The government initially funded the project, but gradual and protracted funding impeded progress.

In November 2012, it was reported that Iran planned to develop the plant with the assistance of Chinese financial backing, at a cost of US$1 billion. The power station would generate 650 MW of electricity when it became operational, four years after financing is secured. The project was reported as likely to be kicked off by the end of Iran's Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2015).

In 2012, the project was listed as under construction.

In March 2015, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) approved opening of a Chinese letter of credit to help accelerate development of the plant. The plant was reported as 25% complete.

In December 2016, it was reported that a consortium of Iran’s MAPNA Group and China-based Shanghai Electric of State Power Investment Corporation would develop the project. The plant was still reported as 25% complete.

In December 2017, the plant was reported to be abandoned.

However, in June 2020, another article noted that construction had registered "70% progress" based on the Energy Ministry news website, Paven. In July 2020, the Iran-based Tasmin News also reported that the first shipment of turbine equipment had arrived and construction on the power station would be resumed.

Around November 2021, Mohsen Tarztalab, the head of the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company, visited Tabas. He said "the construction of this power plant with two units of 325 MW is on the agenda," with the units expected to join the national grid in the Persian year of 1403 which begins in March 2024. The senior energy official also announced that Iran has to build 5,000 megawatts of coal-fired power capacity in the coming years due to limitations of gas supplies to power plants in cold seasons and the need to diversify the fuel mix.

The power station was the subject of another article a few weeks later, which involved a long interview with one of the managers of the project.

Planet satellite imagery of what may be the construction site through January 2021, June 2021, and December 2021 did not appear to show any progress from initial construction that took place in January 2016.

In November 2021, the Secretary of the Iranian Coal Association is quoted in the Mine & Mining Industries News, saying: "It was decided to build a coal-fired power plant in the Tabas region to supply part of the country's electricity through coal, but this did not happen."

In what appeared to be summer 2022, the head of Tabas' Industry, Mining and Trade Department and the deputy governor of South Khorasan visited the construction site and nearby mine.

In November 2022, it was reported that construction was underway and that a boiler from a foreign country was ordered.

In December 2022, it was reported that work was 35% complete, with equipment supplied by Iran’s MAPNA Group and China’s Shanghai Electric. News still referenced vague plans for 5,000 MW of new coal capacity in the country.

Between January 2021 and January 2023 and January 2023 and July 2023, minor work did appear to move forward at the potential site based on Planet satellite imagery.

In 2022, a study tracking the Tabas watershed with the aim of supplying water to a coal-fired power plant in what appeared to be the area was published.

Reporting from September 2023 suggested that construction of the power station may have stalled again because the main contractor, MAPNA, lacked the appropriate technology for construction of coal-fired boilers.

Based on Planet satellite imagery, there appeared to be little progress in construction from July 2023 to May 2024.

As of August 2024, construction of the power station was stalled. One member of parliament reportedly said that completion of the plant would be “at the top of our pursuits through the Islamic Council.” (Google Translate)

Construction company

Omran Azarestan is a construction company involved in the project. In January 2022, they posted a video on Instagram with the following caption: "• پروژه ي عمليات آماده سازي ، حفاري ، انفجار ، بارگيري ، باطله برداري ، استخراج ، جاده سازي و گريدرزني ، آبپاشي ، حمل باطله به محل هاي تعيين شده در معدن ذغال سنگ مزينوي نيروگاه طبس." (Google Translate: "Project preparation, drilling, blasting, loading, tailings, extraction, road construction and grading, spraying, tailings transportation to designated locations in the Mazino coal mine of Tabas power plant.")

In June 2022, Omran Azarestan had the plant listed as an "ongoing project" on their website.

Financing

The first 25% of the plant was constructed with financing from the Government of Iran. Then, in 2016, it was reported that the Export Development Bank of Iran and a consortium Chinese financial institutions were providing a total of US$1 billion in loans were bringing the coal energy project back to life. The Climate Policy Initiative also reported in 2015 that the Export-Import Bank of China had agreed to provide US$850 million of the total US$1 billion in loans. However it could not be confirmed that this financing has closed. 2021 media source suggested that the Government of Iran has been financing the plant costing $650 million.

Coal source

The Tabas region in South Khorasan Province holds about 55-76% of Iran’s coal reserves, with an estimated proven coal reserve of 2.5 billion tonnes, including 1.1 billion tonnes of coking coal in Parvadeh region and 1.4 billion tonnes of thermal coal in the Mazino area, according to Iranian news sources. In 2015, it was reported that the coal concentrate output of the Tabas Parvadeh Coal Company was set to reach two million tonnes per annum from the current 750,000 tonnes, as part of a five-year development plan. The increase would be financed by the Chinese MCC Group.

In April 2020, workers of the Tabas coal mine protested against the poor conditions, especially with the coronavirus. They were concerned about the dining hall, proximity of workers, and closed work environment worsening coronavirus risks. Though many mines were closed following the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tabas coal mine started operations again on April 26. Families of the workers also protested against the re-start of Tabas operations.

In July 2021, the Tabas open coal mine Mazino Coal Mine reportedly held an opening ceremony. It is located approximately 5 kilometers from the proposed power plant and expected to produce 2 million tons of coal per year.

Opposition

In early April 2008, workers at Tabas plant walked out over unpaid salaries.

On May 12, 2015, 150 workers at Tabas plant stopped working to protest the 1.5 months delay in their salaries. The workers also cited poor working conditions that have resulted in death and injury, as reasons for their protest.

On May 25, 2015, workers at Tabas plant protested in front of the management office about not getting paid their wages for 4 months and “poor services.”

In April 2016, workers employed for the Tabas plant protested for not receiving their pay. They were concerned about their employee-employer contracts and worried about getting fired due to financial costs.

In November 2017, former workers of the Tabas plant protested after being fired from their jobs. It is said that 250 workers were fired due to financial problems.

In March 2017, about 50 workers from the Tabas plant gathered in front of the Tabas governor’s office to demand their three-month missing wages. Protestors said that none of the mine’s managers were being held accountable for missing wages.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.