Energy Minister: Changing Office Hours Will Save '1000 Megawatts' of Electricity

The Energy Minister of the Islamic Republic has claimed that by implementing the 'controversial' plan to change office hours, the country will save 1000 megawatts of electricity. Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the Energy Minister in Ebrahim Raisi's cabinet, stated today, Wednesday, June 14, during a government meeting, that changing the start times for public and governmental offices has led to a significant reduction in electricity consumption. Following the approval of a law to maintain the official time of the country as in previous years during the last weeks of Esfand 1401 (March 2023), there were many protests against this action, with many citizens, experts, and social media users arguing that it would cause disruptions in the following months. Shortly thereafter, with the beginning of the new solar year, on Farvardin 5, the text of the cabinet's decision regarding the start times for various agencies, signed by Mohammad Mokhber, the Deputy President of the Islamic Republic, was published in Iranian media, indicating that the start time for parents in 'interaction' with executive agencies had become 'flexible.' Despite Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, announcing on Khordad 3 that he opposed the cabinet's decision to change working hours during the hot months of the year, the start time for public offices was ultimately declared and implemented as '6 AM' from Khordad 16. On Khordad 17, just a day after the judiciary declared the cabinet's new working hours 'unimplementable' and set the start time at 7 AM, it issued another notice stating that work would begin at '6 AM.' Just hours before the judiciary's new announcement, a letter from Mohammad Mokhber dated 'Khordad 11' was uploaded to the 'Shenasnameh' website, which serves as a bank for laws and regulations, indicating revisions to parts of the previous cabinet decision regarding office hours. According to the new letter from the Deputy President to the Ministry of Interior and the Employment Organization, part of the initial decision that emphasized 'relevant agencies must define the remaining hours as remote work to comply with weekly working hours' and was opposed by the Parliament was removed. Now, a week after the implementation of this controversial decision, a member of the cabinet has reported its success in reducing electricity consumption, which has been one of the challenges in recent years. On the other hand, Ebrahim Raisi noted on Khordad 17 that 'public opinion mobilization' regarding the change in office hours was 'important and effective in gaining public support' for its implementation. The change in working hours for public offices, starting at 6 AM, has faced public opposition and criticism from some experts due to disrupting the usual order and inconsistency with the working hours of other non-governmental entities, occurring due to the Parliament's opposition to the annual change of daylight saving time. The electricity supply issue in Iran: Electricity was cut off to three ministries. The water supply crisis in summer; on Sunday, water was cut off for hours in Tehran and Mashhad. The sound of blackouts is approaching; electricity is cut off for high-consumption offices. The 'mismatch' between gas production and consumption is pushing Iran towards gas imports.