Power consumption in Tehran is estimated to increase by 5.5 percent year-over-year in summer, and plans call for partial shutdown of industrial units to curb consumption during the peak demand, managing director of the Tehran Regional Electricity Company (TREC) said, Shana news agency reported Sunday.
As part of measures to reduce power consumption in the capital, the overhaul of major industrial units in and around Tehran is slated to be carried out between mid-June and August, Seyyed Zaman Hosseini said. Major power plants across the capital include nine thermal and five hydroelectric plants.
"Electricity consumption peaked at 9,000 MW last year," the official said. Analysts have projected that a 2,500-3,000 MW power shortage in the coming summer is certain, while no major power plant is expected to come into operation in the next few months to address the deficit. Power transmission from the Siah Bisheh Pumped Storage Power Plant in the northern Mazandaran Province to Tehran is one of the energy ministry's top priorities.
The project – scheduled to be completed by July with approximately 1,000 MW output – will help improve the stability of power transmission during the hot season.
Hosseini also underlined curbing power consumption as the most important factor to avoid outages in summer and called for judicious electricity consumption by residential and industrial consumers.
Iran's installed power capacity is close to 73,000 MW. The country's electricity industry ranks 14th in the world and first in the Middle East in terms of electricity generation. It is the largest exporter and importer of electricity in the Middle East and exports electric power to Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Azerbaijan and Armenia supply electricity to Iran under a swap agreement.
