TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said his ministry’s program for rewarding efficient electricity subscribers with a 100 percent discount on their bills is expected to be implemented as of the next Iranian calendar month (begins on October 22), IRNA reported.

“Preparations have been made for the implementation of the "Power of Hope" program in the country, and low-consuming households will benefit from a 100-percent discount,” Ardakanian said in the inauguration ceremony of some energy projects in West Azarbaijan Province on Tuesday.

He expressed hope that with the implementation of this program, other subscribers will also be encouraged to join the low-consuming subscribers.

Referring to the Energy Ministry’s A-B Iran program, Ardakanian stated: “under this program, so far 121 projects have been put into operation in the country in which 277 trillion rials (about $6.59 billion) have been invested.”

During Ardakanian’s visit to the northwestern province, six power transmission projects worth 35 trillion rials (about $833.3 million) were inaugurated under the framework of the ministry’s A-B Iran program.

Back in August, Ardakanian had said that the “Power of Hope” program is expected to reduce the country’s electricity consumption by 10 percent.

"This program will be implemented to both reward low-consuming subscribers and to encourage others to consume less and it is expected to reduce power consumption by 10 percent,” Ardakanian said in a press conference on the occasion of the Government Week (August 23-29).

A-B-Iran program (the acronyms A and B stand for water and electricity in Persian) was initiated in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), during which the minister made 31 trips to various provinces for inaugurating over 220 major projects with a total investment of 335.6 trillion rials (about $7.99 billion).

Since the beginning of the second phase of the scheme in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20), every week several energy projects have gone operational across the country.

EF/MA

Photo: Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian speaks in the inauguration ceremony of some energy projects in West Azarbaijan Province on Tuesday.