The Tehran Electricity Distribution Company announced that “scheduled and rotational power cuts” began across Tehran at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the Masoud Pezeshkian administration, stated that the burning of fuel oil (mazut) will not be stopped, only reduced, and that power cuts will continue.
Each power outage is scheduled to last two hours, but citizens report that the announced schedule and areas of the outages are not consistently followed, causing problems for residents.
Communication and Internet Affected by Power Cuts
According to the website Filterban, with the onset of power outages in Tehran, mobile networks have also gone down in some areas. The backup batteries of BTS (Base Transceiver Station) antennas, which should provide power for up to three hours, are underperforming and in need of maintenance.
Eleven Power Plants Still Burning Fuel Oil
In response to the power outages, the state-run Jomleh newspaper emphasized that if the purpose of the power cuts is to protect public health, then fuel oil burning should be stopped nationwide. Instead, eleven plants are still burning fuel oil, and cutting it at just three plants is causing daily power outages.
The state-run Shargh newspaper also reported that out of the 141 power plants in Iran, 16 can use fuel oil. Among these, fuel oil tanks at two plants, one in Tehran and another in Isfahan, have been sealed for several years, and officials claim that they do not burn fuel oil under any circumstances.
According to Shargh, three other plants, Shazand Arak, Montazeri Ghaem Alborz, and Shahid Mohammad Montazeri in Isfahan—were required to stop using oil as of the start of this week, leaving eleven plants still burning it.
On Sunday, November 10, Reza Sepahvand, a member of the regime’s Majlis energy committee, stated: “If fuel oil burning is not used, the only option left is scheduled power and gas cuts for households and industry. We experienced industrial power cuts in the summer, which damaged the industrial and agricultural sectors and caused numerous issues for households due to frequent outages.”
Majlis Research Center Report on Energy Imbalance
On Monday, the regime’s Majlis (Parliament) Research Center released a report attributing the government’s decision to cut electricity to declining diesel and fuel oil reserves for power plants and a growing natural gas imbalance.
According to the report, in 2022, the natural gas deficit reached 315 million cubic meters per day at peak consumption. Although this figure dropped to around 280 million cubic meters per day in 2023 due to rising temperatures, the natural gas imbalance remains a challenge throughout the year, especially in colder months.
Meanwhile, as liquid fuel consumption in thermal power plants increased, the diesel and fuel oil reserves from March to September 2024 decreased compared to the same period last year. The growing gas imbalance and lack of alternative liquid fuel have made it more difficult to manage the current situation.
Challenges in the Budget and Crude Oil Production
According to this report, given the current level of crude oil production, reaching the target of producing 3.75 million barrels per day, as outlined in the 2025 budget, faces serious doubts.
Moreover, the goal of exporting 1.85 million barrels of crude oil and condensates daily, with 1.25 million barrels allocated to government revenue, also seems unrealistic.
Mohammad Jafar Qaem-Panah, Pezeshkian’s executive deputy, blamed citizens for the energy imbalance and fuel oil burning, stating that they should lower their home temperatures by a few degrees and reduce gas and electricity usage to lessen outages.
He also attributed part of the problem to the “extremely low prices” and subsidies on energy carriers.
Despite being the world’s second-largest holder of natural gas reserves and significant oil reserves, Iran is unable to meet its power plants’ needs. Instead, it allocates oil revenue to regional interventions and funds proxy groups.
