Iran’s Energy Ministry has reported a historic record for electricity usage in the country amid rising demand for cooling.
Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC), a subsidiary of state electricity company Tavanir, said on Saturday that peak demand for electricity had smashed a record of 71.486 gigawatts (GW) earlier in the day.
It said the figure was an increase of just over 8 GW or 12.67% compared to demand figures reported on July 8, 2022.
The record comes amid rising temperatures in Iran which have caused a surge in demand for cooling.
Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) early next week in the capital Tehran, up from 36 °C reported in the city around noon on Saturday.
The IGMC expects peak demand for power would reach as much as 73 GW in Iran next week. That could cause intensive pressure on the grid and could lead to power cuts for heavy consumers.
Officials said on Saturday they had ordered power cuts for certain government departments that failed to observe efficiency guidelines in electricity use.
Iran has a nominal electricity generation capacity of just over 91 GW of which some 60 GW is completely operational.
The country has added more than 7 GW of new generation capacity in the past two years to respond to growing demand while another 0.9 GW of new capacity will be launched until March, according to statements by Iranian Energy Ministry authorities.
The new capacity comes from 31 new thermal power plant units launched across Iran as well as from extensive repair and maintenance works carried out on the existing power plants since August 2021.