With the onset of summer and rising temperatures, it is expected that the hours of power outages will increase and in some areas will continue until September. Power outages have also posed serious problems for piped water supply and industrial activities.
Summer had not yet begun when a power outage schedule was published for more than 22 provinces of Iran for the second week of June. Before that, most power outages occurred without prior notice.
The announcement of power outage schedules continues, and as temperatures warm and consumption increases, the number and duration of outages have also increased in many cities.
Currently, the blackout schedule in most provinces has been published for a period until July 10th, and as usual, the power outage schedule until that date will be announced in the following days.
Power outages likely to continue until the end of September
Abbas Azari, spokesman for the Khorasan Electricity Industry, announced on July 24 that, according to the Ministry of Energy's forecast, there is a possibility of daily blackouts for household subscribers until September 5, and this issue may continue until the end of September.
The reason for power outages is basically related to the imbalance between production and consumption, but in practice, many variables can affect this process.
The deputy director of Tavanir's distribution coordination told ISNA news agency that in the last week of June, electricity consumption reached 60,000 megawatts, which is more than the actual electricity production capacity.
According to Gholamali Rakhshani-Mehr, about 24,000 megawatts of electricity consumption is allocated to cooling devices, which increases during peak hours as the weather gets warmer.
The role of reduced rainfall in power outages
Another problem that leads to electricity shortages and blackouts is drought and reduced rainfall, which leads to a decrease in dam reserves and a decrease in the efficiency of hydroelectric power plants.
Rakhshani Mehr told ISNA: "Water storage behind the dams has decreased by at least 50 percent compared to last year, which means that the energy production capacity of hydroelectric power plants has been halved."
A spokesman for the Khorasan Electricity Industry says that in the last week of June, the duration of daily power outages reached two hours a day, and efforts are being made to ensure that this amount does not exceed 90 minutes.
In some cities, such as Ahvaz, where temperatures reached 50 degrees on July 26, there is very little opportunity for savings for home subscribers.
Hassan Karimi, CEO of the Ahvaz Electricity Distribution Company, says that in this city, which is facing a shortage due to reduced production from hydroelectric power plants, efforts are being made to prevent household power outages as much as possible by reducing office working hours and minimizing electricity consumption in offices and organizations.
Water cut due to power outage
Power shortages in some areas have led to disruptions in the water supply network, and many citizens are experiencing pressure drops and water outages for long hours.
For example, some Qazvin citizens complain that pressure drops and water cuts sometimes last up to 10 hours a day without being notified.
Aziz Abbasi, Public Relations Manager of the Qazvin Provincial Electricity Office, says that sensitive centers such as hospitals and drinking water wells have been removed from the consumption management shutdown list, but the Water Department has not announced the complete list of wells.
He cited cryptocurrency mining as one of the causes of the electricity shortage, adding that in Qazvin province, we have an average increase in electricity consumption of four to five percent each year compared to previous years, and this amount has increased fivefold this year.
Abbasi also mentioned the decrease in dam reserves due to drought and reduced rainfall, and cited the drop in electricity production in hydroelectric power plants as another reason for the current situation.
Risk of closure of production units and unemployment of workers
The power shortage has also jeopardized the situation of production workshops. On July 25, managers of industrial units in Takestan County met with the Chief Justice of Qazvin Province and a number of local officials to discuss and find solutions to “solve the problem of continuous fluctuations in power supply in these units.”
The judicial official said in the meeting: "We tolerate power outages in homes and the summer heat, but the power supply of industrial units should not fluctuate and be cut off. If managers cooperate in this matter, this problem will be solved and unemployment of more than twenty thousand workers in Takestan County, as well as unemployment of more than the mentioned number in other counties of the province, will be prevented."
On July 2nd, ISNA reported on the situation of some units producing food, agricultural products, and equipment, reporting huge losses in most of these units due to power fluctuations and outages.
According to this report, Amir Mehdi Moradi, Secretary of the Khorasan Industrial Managers Association, said about three weeks ago that frequent power outages have caused great damage to industrial units, and the most important problem is that due to power outages, the industrial sector cannot have any plans.
Such complaints are heard from different provinces of Iran. Many producers criticize that despite the announcement of weekly blackouts in different provinces, the blackouts do not have a specific start and end and it is not possible to plan accordingly.
Source: DW
