Financial Tribune - The proposal to transfer water from the Caspian Sea in the north to the drought-hit central plateau has been approved by the Majlis and the related desalination project is having a pilot run, the energy minister said.

�The pilot project is in process and the final decision will be made upon the completion of the test,� Donyay-e-Eqtesad daily reported Reza Ardakanian as saying.

Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company, affiliated to the Energy Ministry, is tasked with carrying out the pilot plan.

�Although Iran is located in an arid and semi-arid area, having access to vast resources of salt water in the north (Caspian Sea) and south (Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf) offers good prospects. We can benefit from these unconventional resources with the use of modern technology,� Ardakanian noted.