Energy Crisis in Iran; University Classes Shift to Online Until End of Term

Classes for students at all educational levels in Iranian universities will be held online until the end of the current term due to the energy crisis. The Director General of the Higher Education Planning Office announced in a directive to universities and higher education institutions that classes will be conducted virtually in the coming weeks until the end of the first semester of the academic year 1403-04. Although the directive does not directly mention the energy crisis in Iran, one of the reasons for this action is cited as 'the created closures.' The current term for Iranian universities continues until January 10, and the published directive states that university exams will be held in person. Power outages have reached Tehran's highways; severe steel production decline. Many universities in various cities of Iran were closed simultaneously with schools and offices in numerous provinces for six consecutive days this week. Meanwhile, responsible institutions cited cold weather on some days and air pollution on others as the reasons for the closures of offices, schools, and universities. The last time Iranian universities held classes online was during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a two-year suspension of in-person education. The spokesperson for the National Gas Company of Iran reported on December 18 that a new record in gas consumption was registered in the country, stating that out of a total of 858 million cubic meters of sweet gas injected into the national pipeline, 671 million cubic meters were consumed in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, marking a new record for this year. The shortage of gas and electricity in recent weeks has created widespread problems for citizens in Iran. Schools and offices in several provinces of Iran were declared closed for the fourth day. Many highways and streets in Iranian cities have experienced power outages, and according to Hadi Abadi, the head of the Mazandaran Road Police, a 24-hour power outage on the Haraz road 'has caused problems for services.' Over the past week, electricity in industrial towns in Tehran and some other cities was cut off, leading to widespread criticism; however, according to Heshmatollah Asgari, the Deputy for Economic Coordination of the Tehran Governorate, electricity in the industrial towns of this province will be limitedly restored from Wednesday, December 19. Meanwhile, the head of the Strategic Production Department of the Thermal Power Company reported that 8,500 megawatts of power plant capacity has been taken offline due to a lack of fuel. Although the issue of gas supply in winter has been a recurring problem in previous years, statements from government officials indicate that executive bodies did not accurately predict this year's gas consumption.