Iran’s vice president claims the country is planning to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity using nuclear power.

Mohammad Mokhber said on Wednesday that the use of fossil fuel is losing its place and the importance of nuclear energy is doubling.

He also ordered the Minister of Energy and the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) to compile a plan for the construction of a 20,000-megawatt nuclear power plant and provide the necessary resources for the implementation of this plan in the next year’s budget.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke to members of the country's nuclear industry on June 11, amid reports that Tehran and Washington were indirectly negotiating a nuclear deal via Oman.

In that meeting, he urged the AEOI to continue developing the nuclear program to reach the 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power goal.

His ambitions come as currently, the United States generates 95,492 megawatts of nuclear power, which is required to operate 93 reactors.

Iran has the second largest natural gas reserves in the world, holding more than 17 percent of global discovered gas fields.

Iran has done little to upgrade its energy industry since its peak a decade ago when its annual oil export revenue reached $100 billion. Unlike neighboring Qatar, Iran has seen a steady decline in its natural gas production due to a lack of technology to maintain output, meaning one of the world's largest gas fields is all but stagnant.