Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, CEO of Tavanir (Iran Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Management Company), stated that on Saturday, August 24, during peak consumption hours, the electricity demand reached 77,000 megawatts.
This energy official added that on Saturday, “we surpassed last year’s electricity consumption demand for 42 days and 42 instances with unbelievable numbers.”
This year, the increase in temperature, coupled with the government’s failure to increase electricity production, has raised the imbalance to 17,000 megawatts.
While the relative drop in temperature last week brought hope for resolving the power outage problem, reports indicate that a new heatwave is expected by the end of the week, which will further increase electricity consumption.
On Sunday, Rajabi Mashhadi told the state-run Mehr News Agency: “The country’s electricity consumption demand has been higher than last year’s peak for 42 days.”
According to Rajabi Mashhadi, as reported by the Meteorological Organization, this August has been the hottest in the past 50 years, and although the Meteorological Organization predicted a slight temperature drop from yesterday, the temperature did not decrease, and reports indicate that the unusual heat will persist until the end of this week.
He further urged the public to “help reduce the challenges of providing stable and continuous electricity in the country by saving at least ten percent.”
Possibility of Increased Electricity Consumption This Week
Meanwhile, Maziar Jamshidi, the Director of Operation and Network Control of the National Electricity Grid told IRNA News Agency: “We are in the last week of August, and the temperature continues to rise, so we expect an increase in temperature and, consequently, an increase in electricity consumption in the country until the end of this week.”
Jamshidi said, “Electricity consumption in the country on Saturday, August 24, increased by about 500 to 600 megawatts compared to last week.”
The record-breaking electricity consumption in Iran during the summer heatwave has previously made headlines.
Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the Minister of Energy in Ebrahim Raisi’s government, stated earlier in August that Iran has experienced about a 9% increase in electricity consumption compared to last year due to unprecedented heat, adding, “The ten-year average growth rate of Iran’s electricity industry is 4.7%; in such a situation, it can be said that this year the country has experienced double the average electricity consumption growth of previous years.”
Two days ago, the Chairman of the Board of the Iran Electrical Syndicate said that by 2035, the electricity imbalance would reach 37%, equivalent to one-third of the country’s electricity demand. Hasanali Taghizadeh described this imbalance as extremely “dangerous,” adding, “The electricity imbalance this summer was 17,000 megawatts, while last year it was 12,000 megawatts.”
The unprecedented heatwave has now engulfed many countries, even large parts of Europe, but while Iran is grappling with the heat issue, it is also struggling with the inability to meet its electricity consumption needs.
Despite all measures and warnings, there have been numerous reports of scattered, repeated, and widespread blackouts in many cities across the country in recent weeks.
According to the Ministry of Energy, overall electricity consumption in Iran “is more than half of the consumption of the 27 European Union countries combined.” However, the main issue remains the increasing electricity deficit in the country.
It is worth noting that Iran has the world’s second-largest gas reserves but is still unable to supply sufficient electricity. Moreover, due to its geographical location, Iran has great potential to generate electricity from renewable sources, but the regime has made no investment in this area. Instead, the Iranian regime has spent billions of dollars on its nuclear program and has allocated much of the country’s resources to regional interventions, yet it remains incapable of producing adequate electricity.
