Financial Tribune - A new solar power station in the southeastern Kerman Province has been connected to the national power grid.

Built over two hectares in Qaleh Ganj County, it is the eighth solar farm in the desert province whose first phase has been launched, the Energy Ministry news website Paven reported.

Costing half a million dollars and built by the private sector, the first phase has one megawatt capacity. When fully operational in three months, the plant will have capacity of 4 MW.

It will generate 1,633 megawatt hours of electricity per year and help reduce greenhouse gasses. If the same amount of energy was to be produced by a thermal power plant, 1,371 tons of carbon dioxide would burn annually. Likewise, the plant will save consumption of 560,000 cubic meters of natural gas.