Continued Power Outages for Homes and Industries; Nuclear Power Plants Contribute Only 5% to National Electricity Production

While the Islamic Republic has focused significant resources on 'nuclear energy production' over the past two decades and its media continues to tout 'clean and cheap' nuclear power, experts have announced that the current contribution of nuclear and renewable power plants to Iran's electricity production is only 5%. Hashim Oraki, an electrical engineering professor at Sharif University, told the 'Entekhab' website: 'Despite all claims about nuclear and renewable power plants, the total production from these two, along with self-supplied and diesel sources, only accounts for 5% of the country's electricity. This is due to severe shortcomings in planning, jeopardizing energy security, and now, in addition to limited water and gas supplies, we are also facing a shortage of electricity.' The professor stated that today we are facing at least a 15,000 megawatt imbalance in the electricity industry, adding: 'Renewable power plants are one of the most important solutions to overcome this crisis, but while it was supposed that 10,000 megawatts of renewable power would be added to production, only 1,000 megawatts are currently being produced, and it is truly ridiculous and absurd that after 20 years of pretending to pursue nuclear energy, no real action has been taken in this regard.' He pointed out that in the past two weeks, industries in the country have faced power cuts at least two days a week, emphasizing: 'The government says we have no electricity and not to consume, labeling this as consumption management, while it is not management but rather ignorance, cutting off electricity from the productive sector of the economy and placing the entire burden of imbalance and incompetence on the industry, jeopardizing the country's future.' Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization, claimed on July 24 in a joint meeting with members of the Energy Commission of the Parliament that today's uranium reserves in the country are incomparable to the past and asserted that the organization's goal is to produce 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity, which it will pursue seriously. On the other hand, an eyewitness in Markazi Province told Voice of America on August 9 that 'the electricity of industrial units is cut off two days a week,' and for 'agricultural wells, power cuts are scheduled every day from 11 AM to 4 PM,' and 'residential power cuts have also started from the beginning of the week.' This eyewitness, who travels to several cities in different regions of Iran due to his job, reported to the Persian section of Voice of America that 'almost all of Iran is experiencing a power shortage.' The recent shortages of water and electricity in Iran have led to protests, and some news sources have reported that officials are trying to prevent the spread of protests by cutting off electricity to industries while minimizing cuts in residential areas. Simultaneously with reports of widespread power outages in Iran, the Pakistani Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday, August 8, that it intends to purchase more electricity from Iran. The proposal to buy electricity from Iran came a week after the visit of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, to Islamabad, and the state news agency IRNA states that this proposal is the latest effort to expand bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the energy sector. Water and electricity shortages in Iran; eyewitnesses tell Voice of America: life has been disrupted. The latest report from 'Shamkh' indicates a collapse of economic activities in July. The water and electricity crisis in Iran; the Deputy: 'We will pursue the necessary water rights.' Pakistan is purchasing more electricity from Iran. The slogan 'Death to Khamenei' coincides with power cuts in Tehran; protests in Tabriz after several days of water cuts.