Iran declares scheduled electricity cuts as power plants face limited fuel

Iran’s state-governed electricity company Tavanir announced scheduled power cuts across the country as the cold weather has increased demand for natural gas and power plants are challenged with low gasoil.

News ID: 5395

Date: 10 November 2024 - 11:23

TABNAK, Nov, 10 : Tavanir issued a statement late on Saturday asking its customers to check the power cut schedule announced by its local branches in the Iranian provinces.

It said the reason for power cuts was the restrictions imposed on the supply of fuel feedstock in power plants because of the current cold wave.

The statement said another reason for the cuts was a recent decision by the government to ban the use of mazut in power plants to prevent pollution in major industrial cities.

It is the first time in decades that Iran has imposed power cuts in cold months as the country faces an increasing demand for energy in its household, business, and manufacturing sectors.

In a post on the X platform earlier this week, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said that scheduled power cuts would be much better for people than exposing them to pollutants resulting from burning mazut in power plants.

Many power plants in Iran use natural gas as their main feedstock to generate electricity. In fact, the electricity sector is responsible for nearly 250 million cubic meters per day, or a third of the total gas demand in Iran.

However, power plants normally tap their supplies of gasoil in cold months of the year when household demand for natural gas hits record highs.

A Saturday report by Tasnim news agency said gasoil supplies at Iranian power plants had declined 43% in August compared to the same month last year.