The Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir) has reduced power loss in Iran’s distribution and transmission network by renovating aging equipment, electric cables, utility posts and electric meters, as well as fighting illegal use (theft), the head of the state-run firm said.
"Power wastage in the national electricity grid declined from 16% to 9.8% between 2014 and 2021, which is acceptable, considering the vast coverage of the power grid," Arash Kordi was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven on Tuesday.
It would be ideal to reduce this rate to 8.5%, for which serious measures are being taken, he added, stressing that reducing wastage is on the agenda of the Energy Ministry and Tavanir.
Kordi noted that the decline in power loss will boost gas supply to power stations and prevent the emission of carbon dioxide.
According to Tavanir, $1 billion are required to cut electricity waste below 9.8%, in which case the country will have the same ranking as Portugal and Spain.
Power waste in China, the US, France, Italy, Britain, South Africa and Canada is as low as 5.5%, 5.9%, 6.4%, 6.7%, 8.3%, 8.4% and 8.9%, respectively. The global average power loss is around 8.3%.
If the wastage is not reduced further, the government would be forced to build new power stations to produce at least 2,500 megawatts at a cost of $1.7 billion.
To generate 2,500 MW, close to 8 billion cubic meters of natural gas are needed.
Iran ranks seventh in terms of power wastage in the world. Iraq (50.6%), India (19.4), Pakistan (17.4%), Brazil (15.8), Turkey (14.8) and Mexico (13.7%) constitute the top six.
Electricity is usually supplied from large power plants to consumers via extensive networks and rugged terrain. Transmission over long distances also increases power losses.
Aging Equipment
Aging equipment and theft are the two main causes of power loss.
Losses take place between transmission and distribution to consumers, including pilferage.
Transmission lines supply electricity from one or more power stations to substations and distribution lines carry electricity from a substation to consumers.
Losses from the transmission and distribution of electricity through inefficient networks mean additional electricity must be generated to serve the same level of demand.
Options to reduce these losses include replacing transformers and power lines, and optimizing the reactive power profile.
Investments in smart grids would help reduce CO2 emission by lowering load peaks, load shifting, facilitating the integration of renewables generation, supporting the adoption of electric vehicles and improving energy efficiency.
Although Kordi claims Iran has a vast power infrastructure and its wastage exceeds the global average, this is disputed by experts and observers.
"Massive electricity goes to waste in the national grid due to defective equipment. The infrastructure of the national grid is of poor quality," he said, adding that raising the efficiency of power plants will help save energy.
Efficiency of Power Plants
According to Tavinir, the efficiency of thermal power plants increased by 1% in the last five years, reaching 38.1%.
The improvement has reduced fossil fuel consumption by 2.5% for generating one kilowatt of power.
Thanks to the rise in efficiency, emission of greenhouse gases, namely CO2, has declined from 645 grams to 593 grams for producing one kilowatt of electricity.
Mohsen Tarztalab, the former head of Iran’s Thermal Power Plants Holding Company, said to save natural resources in power stations and fight the seemingly unending battle against air pollution, plans are underway to boost thermal power plants' efficiency from 37% to 40% by the end of 2022.
Kordi said harmonizing the electricity grids of Iran and Russia is the most viable and inexpensive option to help ease frequent power cuts during the hot summer days when power load maximizes in Iran.
“Iran needs to synchronize its power grid with that of Russia because otherwise it has to invest billions of dollars to construct new power stations to bridge the widening gap between supply and demand,” he added.
According to the official, electricity demand peaks in Iran between June and July, and this is when Russia’s demand declines and the surplus can be imported to Iran.
