Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said nine thermal power stations are planned to come on stream in various provinces across the country, adding that ten new dams are also going to be built.

Speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate 400KW Electrical Substation in Eyvanekey in the northern province of Semnan on Monday, Ardakanian said all the country can use the electricity produced by the 9 thermal power plants, which are slated to be inaugurated in various provinces.

The plants’ electricity will be connected to the national grid, he said, adding, “Utilizing energy resources is the right of all people of a country and we are working to materialize this important goal.”

The minister further pointed to the construction of 10 large dams and said they will be built in the provinces of Tehran, Ilam, Qom, Yazd, Kerman, West Azarbaijan and Semnan.

Back in February, Ardakanian highlighted the country’s self-sufficiency in the area of power generation and said the Islamic Republic is the top producer of electricity in the Middle East.

About 90 percent of power generation equipment, even complicated parts like turbines and generators, are currently manufactured inside the country, the energy minister said at the time.

He added that Iran’s capabilities in the area of power generation have developed over the past four decades so much that the country has become the top producer of electricity in the region.

“At present, we have energy exchanges with all the countries that share land borders with us,” he said.