Electricity consumption is expected to reach a peak of 58,000 megawatts in the current fiscal (started March 21), which will be 2,600 MW more than that of last year, a deputy at Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company said.
"As long as demand does not exceed 58,000 MW, there will be no worries about occasional outages," Mahmoud Reza Haqifam was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Monday.
According to the official, Iran’s electricity consumption peaked at 55,400 MW in 2017, indicating a 7% rise compared with the consumption level in the corresponding period of previous year.
"Recent precipitation has revived hydroelectric power plants to some extent," Haqifam said, adding that the rise in water levels in hydroelectric dams can help the Energy Ministry reduce probable power cuts in hot summer days when consumption peaks.
The official noted that to increase the country’s power grid sustainability, Iran has embarked on joint ventures, especially with Caspian Sea littoral states, to synchronize its electricity network with those of regional countries.
The government has invested over $2 billion on expansion of power stations for producing only 300 kilowatt-hours of electricity in summer.
"The rate of electricity wastage in Tehran, Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces are high due to the dilapidated distribution network," he said, noting that subscribers in these areas must consume power more judiciously to avoid blackouts.
Haqifam noted that power wastage in the national grid has been cut to 10.6% from 15.2% in less than three years and plans are in place to reduce it to less than 10% in the near future.
Boosting Power Trade
According to Seyyed Zaman Hosseini, a deputy manager of Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (aka Tavanir), as per the Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2017-22), the company is obliged to boost the country's electricity trade with neighbors on northwestern, western and eastern borders.
"Iran's top electricity buyer is Iraq, yet its power exchange with Turkmenistan outweighs that of other countries, namely Armenia and Azerbaijan," he added. According to ILNA, the country's power consumption peaked at 42,761 MW on May 27.
Iran's power trade with neighboring states stood at a total of 1,728 MW, of which 1,408 MW accounted for exports.
The country imported 320 MW on the same day, which kept the electricity trade balance positive.
Under swap deals, Iran exports electricity to Armenia and Azerbaijan in winter and imports it when domestic demand soars in summer.
Currently, Iran has power exchange deals with seven neighboring states. Installed capacity is currently around 80,000 MW. Referring to Iran's annual power exports, Hosseini said the country's electricity export is three times higher than imports.
According to the official, Iran's electricity industry ranks 14th in the world in terms of output and 18th in terms of consumption.
