Electricity consumption in Iran increases as temperatures rise

TEHRAN – Electricity consumption in Iran has exceeded 73,645 megawatts (MW) in the past few days, recording 200 more than the highest electricity consumption record last year in midsummer.

The head of Iran’s electricity generation, distribution and transmission company (known as Tavanir) Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said on Saturday that in the last days of the spring season, the country’s energy demand reached 73,645 megawatts, more than the highest ever peak load last year.

According to the official, electricity consumption in the country has seen a 10 percent increase compared to the previous year, which is a big shock for the spring season.

The gradual increase in temperature has resulted in a sharp increase in the use of air conditioning units, due to which electricity consumption has started to increase again, the official added.

To meet the demand for electricity during the peak summer period, the Iranian Ministry of Energy has included several programs in its agenda, the most important of which are increasing electricity production and managing its consumption.

In the summer, the Ministry intends to implement a comprehensive program under which low-consuming households will be rewarded and subscribers whose consumption exceeds the norm will be punished.

Over the past decade, a steady rise in temperatures and a significant decline in rainfall across Iran has left the country in a difficult electricity supply situation during periods of peak consumption.

Iran’s electricity generation, distribution and transmission company (known as Tavanir) has repeatedly announced that the company is implementing various programs to manage the situation and prevent blackouts in the country.

Earlier this month, an official said that renewable power plants with a total capacity of 13,000 megawatts are being built in Iran, including a 780-megawatt plant in the southeastern provinces of Sistan and Balouchestan.

Alireza Parandeh Motlaq, deputy head of Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) for technical and engineering, stated that Sistan and Baluchistan is one of the richest provinces in the country in terms of renewable energy and enjoys great opportunities in various sectors, including wind energy and geothermal energy.

Currently, a 60-megawatt renewable power plant has been installed in Sistan and Baluchistan province, including a 10-megawatt unit installed in the Zahedan region and a 50-megawatt unit built in recent years in the northern part of the province.

Parandeh Motlaq highlighted the great advantages of wind energy generation in the Mil Nader region, in the northern part of Sistan and Balochistan, where a 50-megawatt wind farm has been installed that produces 210,000 megawatts of electricity per hour.

He further said that wind power generated in Sistan and Balouchestan provinces not only can meet the electricity demand of this southern province, but there is also the possibility of exporting electricity to neighboring Afghanistan.

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