Tavanir Again Calls for Prudent Power Consumption

A senior power official has appealed the public to use electricity judiciously in the face of an unexpected rise in demand over the last several days. “On Saturday, power consumption exceeded a record 49,000 megawatts, the highest level in the current fiscal year” that started in March, Mahmoud Reza Haqifam, a deputy manager at Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir), was quoted as saying by IRNA on Monday. He warned that if current consumption patterns persist, “Power production, transmission and distribution could face serious problems.”

The national power grid can sustain between 5% and 7% increase in load during the summer, he said. The main power supplier has routinely appealed to the people to be more judicious in their use of electricity so that power outages and blackouts can be avoided in the hotter regions. 

Consumption hit an all-time high of 53,000 MW in the previous fiscal that ended in March. According to forecasts, electricity demand will surge to 58,000 MW this summer that has so far seen the mercury rise to over 50 C in the southern parts of the country.

The official urged consumers to unplug unnecessary electronic appliances during the peak hours between midday and 4 p.m. as well as 7-11 in the evening. Stressing that an estimated 30% of the total consumption during peak hours is due to the cooling systems, Haqifam said that the people need to turn off their air conditioners for 30 minutes in those hours, if the room is sufficiently cold. In a recent statement, Hossein Sabouri, the chief executive officer of Tehran Province Electricity Distribution Company, reiterated the need to significantly cut electricity consumption in homes and offices.

“One year has 8,760 hours with peak electricity demand reaching approximately 300 hours annually. We can significantly pare down maintenance and repair costs for electricity infrastructure if we consume moderately during the peak hours.”