Electricity Consumption Record Broken in Iran

With the increase in summer heat in Iran, the peak electricity consumption has surpassed 51,000 megawatts. On Sunday, July 4, the Mehr News Agency reported that with temperatures in southern cities exceeding 50 degrees Celsius and reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in Tehran and Karaj, a new record for electricity consumption in Iran has been set. According to the Iranian Electricity Network Management report, on Saturday at 2:10 PM, the peak electricity consumption rose to 51,025 megawatts. The Mehr News Agency states that this is the first time in over a century of electricity and electrical energy entering the country that consumption has exceeded 51,000 megawatts, and it is anticipated that if consumption continues, nationwide blackouts will be implemented by the Ministry of Energy. The highest electricity consumption last summer was about 50,177 megawatts, and the Ministry of Energy has set the red line for peak electricity consumption this summer at 54,000 megawatts. According to official statistics from the Ministry of Energy, which are updated weekly on the official website of this government agency, Iran's electricity production capacity is currently over 74,683 megawatts, but in reality, the operational capacity of power plants during peak times is about 57,000 megawatts, and some of the electricity produced in Iran is wasted during transmission and distribution. The Ministry of Energy's statistics for the first quarter of this year indicate that Iran produced over 67.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity during this period, which shows a decrease of about 1 billion kilowatt-hours compared to the same period last year. "Watt" is the unit of power measurement and "watt-hour" is the unit of energy measurement. One kilowatt-hour is equal to the energy consumed by a device with a power of 1000 watts over one hour. Iran's electricity exports to neighboring countries have halved this spring, reaching 1.12 billion kilowatt-hours, while Iran's electricity imports have increased by 2% to 1.23 billion kilowatt-hours. In other words, Iran has now become a net importer of electricity, whereas in 2013, Iran's electricity exports were more than three times its imports. In 2013, Iran exported over 11.7 billion kilowatt-hours and imported 3.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The Mehr News Agency reports, quoting Hamid Chitchian, the Minister of Energy, that the peak electricity consumption this summer is predicted to be at the threshold of 54,000 megawatts, and if electricity consumption exceeds this threshold, there will be blackouts. In this context, 35 million people in Iranian cities are facing "water stress" this summer.