The spokesperson for Iran’s electricity industry says that due to the intensifying heat in Iran, the electricity consumption demand is expected to increase by “7.5 percent.” On Saturday, July 20, Mostafa Rajabi, noting that two “very hot” weeks lie ahead for Iranian citizens, told ILNA News Agency: “We predict that electricity consumption demand will break records set this year starting today.”
Rajabi stated that this level of consumption is “5,500 megawatts” higher than last year, which is “equivalent to the electricity consumption of the provinces of Khorasan and Sistan and Baluchestan.”
On Friday, Tehran’s electricity distribution company issued a notice asking the residents of Iran’s capital to “reduce electricity consumption by at least 10 percent, especially from 11 AM to 5 PM” in the coming week to prevent disruptions in the power network.
The company also threatened to take action against “customers” and “offices” that “do not adhere to the necessity of reducing electricity consumption.”
At the same time, an official from the Ministry of Energy announced: “Electricity consumption in Iran alone is more than half of the consumption of the 27 member countries of the European Union.”
Mojtaba Gilvanejad, pointing to the rising temperatures in the coming days, stated: “Since most of our country’s electricity is generated by burning gas, the increase in temperature not only reduces production efficiency but also leads to higher energy consumption.”
He continued: “With each degree increase in temperature, the load on the power grid increases by about 1,800 megawatts, and the capacity of power generation and network facilities decreases by more than 400 megawatts.”
In recent weeks, there have been numerous reports of widespread power outages in Iran.
In this regard, the head of Tehran’s Chamber of Commerce announced last week that the pharmaceutical industry, like other industries in the country, has been affected by power imbalances and experiences power cuts during the hot days of the year.
On July 13, Mahmoud Najafi-Arab said that production units in Iran’s pharmaceutical industry also experience power outages for two days a week.
Some areas of Tehran also faced an unprecedented five-hour power outage on Thursday, July 11, and the rise in temperatures and record-breaking electricity consumption caused several provinces in the country to shut down.
According to reports from Iranian domestic media, “to prevent a nationwide blackout and planned power outages in 15 provinces, Thursday was declared a holiday” to reduce office electricity consumption and “manage the network and avoid blackouts.”
Due to repeated delays in the development of power plants and widespread electricity losses in the outdated network, Iran faces a 14,000-megawatt electricity deficit during the hot seasons each year, and the country’s electricity deficit increases annually.
Last year, the Iranian government aimed to launch more than 6,000 megawatts of new power plants, but only 2,000 megawatts have been achieved.
