Energy Crisis in Iran; Schools and Offices Closed for the Third Consecutive Day

Gas shortages and ongoing air pollution in some areas of Iran have led to the closure of schools and offices in most provinces for the third consecutive day. The closure of schools in some provinces will continue until the end of the week to reduce energy consumption. According to provincial officials, schools and offices in Tehran, Alborz, Ilam, Hormozgan, Markazi, Lorestan, Fars, Yazd, Hamadan, South Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, North Khorasan, East Azerbaijan, Mazandaran, Semnan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Qazvin, Zanjan, Ardabil, Kurdistan, Isfahan, Qom, Kermanshah, West Azerbaijan, and Golestan were closed on Tuesday, December 27. Following a sharp drop in temperatures in various cities of Iran, domestic, commercial, and industrial gas consumption recorded a record of 601 million cubic meters on December 25. Mir Mohammad Gharavi, the Deputy for Urban Development of Tehran Province, announced the closure of schools, banks, and offices in the province, stating that the cold weather has increased domestic gas consumption by 10 percent. This official has invited people to participate in the 'Temperature Reduction Campaign' to help control the situation. Mohammad Sadegh Mo'tamedian, the governor of Tehran, also stated that the closures are unpredictable and will be announced 'daily,' promising that conditions will stabilize within '10 days.' Provincial gas companies have begun cutting off gas to high-consumption customers. For instance, Masoud Baradaran, the head of the Gas Company of Gilan, mentioned that gas has been cut off for 10,357 uninhabited villas in Gilan. Officials from the provinces of Ilam, East Azerbaijan, Mazandaran, and Kermanshah have also reported cutting gas to high-consumption customers. Meanwhile, with the increase in gas consumption and the cutting off of gas to industries, some power plants are facing fuel shortages, leading to power outages in various areas, and electricity distribution companies continue to publish scheduled power cut programs. According to Abdolvahid Mahdavi Nia, the CEO of the Mashhad Electricity Distribution Company, a blackout program in this city will be implemented from 8 PM to 10 PM starting today, and this program will continue daily for two hours. Scheduled blackouts in Tehran also continue. Reports indicate that the unstable situation of gas and electricity has disrupted the daily lives of people and put pressure on various economic sectors. Hadi Abadi, the head of the Mazandaran Road Police, stated that '24-hour power cuts on the Haraz road have caused problems for services.' Production activists also report issues arising from the lack of electricity and gas. Shoja'eddin Emami Ra'uf, the secretary of the Iranian Textile Industries Association, stated, 'Undoubtedly, a two-week closure of production and industrial units due to a lack of electricity and gas will negatively impact the market and is the greatest injustice to domestic producers.' The recent decrease in electricity production has occurred due to a shortage of power plant fuel, leading to the sequential exit of power plants from the grid. Following the exit of some power plants in the provinces of Golestan, Lorestan, and Hormozgan from the grid, on December 27, Ahmad Mousavi, the CEO of Golestan Electricity Company, reported the exit of the Aliabad Katul power plant from operation. In recent days, Iran's metropolitan areas have experienced not only unstable electricity and gas conditions but also severe air pollution. The head of the National Center for Weather Forecasting and Crisis Management of Iran's Meteorological Organization stated that until Thursday, December 29, the concentration of atmospheric pollutants will increase in industrial cities. The country's air quality monitoring system also reported that on the morning of Tuesday, December 27, the air quality of four cities in Khuzestan was classified as 'unhealthy' and 'red.' As the unstable conditions in energy supply continue in Iran, government agencies are attempting to manage the energy crisis in the country by only providing temporary solutions such as closing schools and offices, cutting electricity, and advising people to reduce consumption, without offering permanent solutions to resolve the issues.