TEHRAN- Managing Director of Iran Grid Management Company Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi announced the electricity supply will be sustainable during the winter.

In the current situation, there is no problem in supplying electricity to industries and other subscribers due to the supply of fuel for thermal power plants, the official noted.

“We have no restrictions in these areas, but we advise subscribers to save on gas and electricity consumption”, he also reiterated.

Last week, Rajabi Mashhadi, who is also Energy Ministry's spokesman for electricity industry, announced that the consumption of electricity in Iran has risen six percent in the current year’s autumn as compared to the same season in the past year.

Iran has been facing some serious challenges regarding electricity supply over the past decade mainly due to the temperature rising and decrease of rainfalls.

Some other factors, such as high illegal cryptocurrency mining, have even worsened the situation in the country this year, as the citizens suffered a lot from the constant power outages, while it also caused serious damages to the activities of industries.

Although every year nearly 3,000 MW is added to the country’s power generation capacity, the reduction in the rainfalls and the decline in the water storage behind the dams has reduced the electricity generation offsetting the added capacity.

Such condition made electricity supply one of the major concerns of the government, so the Energy Ministry and related organizations took various measures to tackle the problem.

Consumption management was one of those measures, as the ministry offered incentives to the low-electricity consumers, while it set some penalties for the high-electricity consumers.

The other measure was to renovate the electricity network and equipment, as it is necessary to prevent power loss by replacing high-efficiency equipment with low-efficiency ones and renovating worn-out electricity distribution networks.

Meanwhile, last month, Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian said his ministry plans to construct and put into operation 21 new power plant units by the next summer’s peak consumption period (Iranian calendar’s summer begins on June 22).

According to Mehrabian, his ministry is following a comprehensive program for adding 30,000 megawatts (MW) to the country’s power generation capacity by the end of the current government incumbency.

Speaking in a meeting with the members of the Parliament Energy Committee, the minister said: “According to the plan submitted to the parliament, the Ministry of Energy will increase the capacity of the country’s power plants by 30,000 megawatts.”

"Currently, for the next year’s summer peak [consumption period], we are taking the necessary measures to bring 21 new [power plant] units on stream; Of course, the exact schedule for the operation of these units is prepared and will be provided in the form of weekly reports,” he added.

MA/MA