Government's Inability to Provide Electricity; 13 Provinces of Iran Will Be Closed on Thursday

ISNA reported that 13 provinces of Iran will be closed on Thursday, July 21, due to what it called "the imbalance between electricity production and consumption, as well as rising temperatures and record-breaking consumption." According to ISNA, the provinces of Semnan, Zanjan, Khuzestan, Qom, Bushehr, Markazi, Isfahan, Yazd, Sistan and Baluchestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kerman, South Khorasan, and Lorestan will be closed on Thursday due to electricity shortages. The government news agency wrote that electricity consumption demand in Iran has reached over 77,000 megawatts, and considering the forecast of rising temperatures, consumption is likely to continue to rise. According to this report, to prevent nationwide blackouts and scheduled power cuts in 13 provinces, Thursday has been declared a holiday so that "by reducing electricity consumption in offices, the network can be managed and blackouts can be avoided." Tavanir Company sent a nationwide warning text message to subscribers on Tuesday, July 19, and on Wednesday, a consumption warning was issued for Tehran. In this context, according to Young Journalists Club, electricity for 65 subscribers of the high-consumption office in Tehran was cut off due to refusal to reduce electricity consumption. Recently, there have been many protests on social media regarding power outages and government mismanagement in various cities of Iran. In this regard, according to the channel "Civil Protest Market," residents of "Koy Mashali" in Ahvaz have been without electricity for 12 hours during the day, while this city is "struggling with unbearable heat above 50 degrees." According to this report, frequent and unannounced power outages have disrupted the daily lives of Ahvaz citizens. The power cuts occur while Homayoun Haeri, Deputy Minister of Energy for Electricity and Energy, told ISNA on May 15: "Given the actions and planning carried out and with the cooperation of electricity industry subscribers, we will not have blackouts this year." However, at the end of June this year, the Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade announced in a letter to the Minister of this ministry that electricity restrictions for industries would be intensified this summer, and consequently, the activities of industries such as steel and cement would face significant disruptions, ultimately leading to reduced production and increased prices. ILNA also published an image of a letter from Reza Mohtashami Pour, Deputy Minister of Mining of the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade, addressed to the Minister, stating: "The nominal capacity of electricity in the country has reached 90,000 megawatt-hours, and while we have not yet approached the warm months of the year, the peak electricity consumption has reached 70,000 megawatts." In the meantime, the website "Khabar Online" reported that power outages in some central areas of Tehran have reached 4 hours. Khabar Online emphasized that in previous years, with the onset of the warm season, the maximum power cut time was two hours; this is the first time that citizens have experienced nearly 4 hours of power cut. According to media reports, power outages for industries have become a fundamental problem for them and have led to protests from industrial owners as well. Reports indicate that yesterday, electricity at the Saipa car manufacturing plant was also cut for at least five hours, causing serious problems in the production process and leaving workers unemployed and in limbo for hours. According to published news, repeated power outages in Tehran's industrial hub, the Special Road, where many old and established industries and factories are located, have created fundamental problems for industries. ILNA also quoted the Vice President of the Industry Commission of the Iran Chamber of Commerce as saying that the one-day-a-week power outage for industrial parks across the country has extended to a second day. Donya-e-Eqtesad noted the private sector's request to the government to move one day of blackout to Friday, stating that Ministry of Energy officials have informed industrial owners that "solving this issue is not within the authority of the Ministry of Energy, and security institutions are in charge of this sector." Abbas Jabalbarzi said that the second day is unpredictable, and in this situation, some producers who need diesel to keep generators running are accused of fuel smuggling. In this context, Donya-e-Eqtesad reported on Wednesday that the electricity imbalance crisis has moved from the warning stage in the media to the stage of text messages to citizens. This newspaper emphasized that power outages for industries cause serious damage to them, and each time turning industries on and off takes about 24 hours, and each 24-hour power outage increases losses. Donya-e-Eqtesad referred to the private sector's request to the government to move one day of blackout to Friday and reported that Ministry of Energy officials informed industrial owners that "solving this issue is not within the authority of the Ministry of Energy, and security institutions are in charge of this sector." Experts believe that the lack of planning and behavior outside the economic frameworks in developmental issues is the main cause of the energy imbalance, and they argue that with this style of governance, there is no hope for improvement in conditions. Previously, Donya-e-Eqtesad wrote about the reasons for the current situation: "The mismatch between revenues and expenditures has led investors to be less inclined to participate in the electricity industry and more inclined to invest in other industries, while the government, which pays heavy subsidies to household and agricultural subscribers, is itself unable to construct power plants or even pay the debts of power plant owners, contractors, and equipment manufacturers in the electricity industry."