TEHRAN – Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian has said that six major power plant units have come back on stream after going through overhaul to meet the rising demand for electricity in the coming weeks, IRNA reported.

Mehrabian said electricity consumption in the country is expected to break new records in the coming weeks as the temperature is rising constantly and the use of air conditioning devices is consequently increasing.

He called on people to manage their electricity consumption in peak demand hour in order to prevent any disruption in the power supply.

“We request all subscribers to manage their electricity consumption to help the ministry provide stable electricity for different sectors,” the minister said.

“The average increase in electricity consumption over the past years has been four percent annually, and this year too, we made the necessary preparations and plans based on three different scenarios of three percent increase, 4.5 percent increase and six percent increase in electricity consumption,” he noted.

“However, statistics show that this year, the average increase in electricity consumption in the country has reached eight percent, and the rate is nine percent in Tehran,” the official added.

Emphasizing that the increase in temperature and the increase in demand for electricity consumption in the country will put a lot of pressure on both the power plant units and the transmission and distribution networks, Mehrabian said: “In the meetings held with the managers of the country’s electricity sector, the latest follow-ups regarding the maximum readiness of the power plant units and preparation of quick reaction groups in critical points of transmission and distribution networks was carried out and necessary orders were issued in this regard.”

Peak electricity consumption in Iran exceeded 76,000 megawatts (MW) earlier this month as a new heat wave hit the country.

According to Head of Iran's Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company (known as Tavanir) Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said, electricity consumption in the country reached 76,768 MW on July 7, while the consumption stood at 71,486 MW on the same day last year.

The simultaneity of the increase in temperature in the south and north of the country has caused a sharp increase in electricity consumption and the country is spending its hottest days.

Over the past decade, constant temperature rises and the significant decrease in rainfalls across Iran have put the country in a hard situation regarding electricity supply during peak consumption periods.

In order to meet the electricity demand in the peak summer period, the Iranian Energy Ministry has put several programs on its agenda among which increasing electricity production and managing consumption are the major ones.

The ministry is also implementing a comprehensive program during the summer, based on which low-consuming households are rewarded while the subscribers whose consumption exceeds the normal level face a penalty.

EF/MA