Utility tunnels will expand across the capital Tehran, the managing director of Tehran Regional Electricity Company said.
“Electricity supply via overhead power lines is no more feasible economically and there are barriers [to improve it]. Thus, we are pursuing the policy of developing underground utility tunnels in Tehran,” Gholamreza Khoshkholq was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
Khoshkholq noted that about 30 kilometers of tunnel have so far been drilled to replace dilapidated power cables with new ones.
“Drilling tunnels is the best method to protect power cables. However, as the process is costly, the project is behind schedule in Tehran.”
Power officials believe that because of lack of space, laying overhead electricity lines in the capital is not technically feasible anymore.
Khoshkholq noted, "New substations are under construction in the metropolis. Such projects are considered the main plans of the state-owned company to help power sustainability."
Referring to measures taken by the Energy Ministry to curb electricity wastage, the official said that it managed to save close to 4,000 megawatts of power nationwide for about 35 million subscribers in the last fiscal year that ended in March 2018.
The official stressed that the firm plans to adopt measures in August to prepare the power network for the next fiscal’s peak consumption hours, adding that there is a six-year-long network expansion plan that requires an estimated 100 trillion rials (over $2.3 billion) in finance.
Power Cable Replacement
Khoshkholq said 500 km of old power cables have been replaced in two years, noting that half of the operation took place in the last fiscal year.
According to the official, 1,500 kilometers of dilapidated power cables in Tehran Province need to be replaced, which takes about two to three years.
Iran traded 1,774 MW of power with its neighbors on Wednesday, of which 1,145 MW were exported, IRNA reported on Thursday.
Iran has power trade with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Peak power consumption hit 42,247 megawatts on Wednesday.
"The total peak electricity demand hours are predicted to reach 500 in the current fiscal year from 300 hours in the last fiscal year," Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, a deputy at Iran Grid Management Company, told Mehr News Agency last month.
In the first half of the year, power demand soars between midday and 4 p.m. as well as 7-11 in the evening.
Iran’s power generation capacity stands at 80,000 MW.
