Iran’s Deputy Minister of Energy Mahmoud Kamaani says the operation of a wastewater treatment plant in western Tehran would help annually prevent the release of 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide gas, which has a significant environmental impact.

According to The Iran Project,Kamaani made the announcement during the inauguration of the country’s largest concentrated biomass power plant with a nominal capacity of 7.2-megawatt simultaneously with the opening of wastewater treatment plant on Thursday, according IRNA's report from the Ministry of Energy.

The ceremony was held in Tehran and inaugurated via video-conference by President Ebrahim Raisi and Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian.

Kamaani who is also the head of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization of Iran (SATBA) in the opening ceremony said that this biogas power plant will produce 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

The 7.2-megawatt plant, adjacent to a wastewater treatment facility in western Tehran, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 220,000 metric tons and natural gas usage by 24 million cubic meters annually, he explained.

While describing the ongoing projects, Kamaani said 8 more power plants are under construction, including four biogas power plants in the cities of Isfahan, Qom, Kashan, and Shiraz. He pointed out that it is expected that these power plants will be put into operation within the next year and a half and at the end of the tenure of the current government.

Biogas, a renewable energy source, is produced through the anaerobic digestion of organic materials such as food scraps and waste, in the absence of oxygen.