For the second consecutive day, the Iranian Ministry of Electricity has cut power in several cities experiencing high consumption due to unprecedented temperatures, particularly in the southern provinces like Khuzestan, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan. The cuts also affected central cities, including the capital Tehran, Qom, Arak, and others.
The Iranian Ministry of Electricity justified the repeated outages due to unprecedented electricity consumption, stating, "The electricity demand reached 76,000 megawatts on Monday," adding, "The demand for electricity this week increased by five thousand megawatts compared to last week, equivalent to the electricity consumption of Isfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces."
The recurring power outages have led some lawmakers to call for an inquiry into Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian. Parliament member Mohammad Reza Koji stated in an interview with "Baghdad Today" that the continued electricity cuts in Iranian cities might force a reduction in electricity exports to neighboring countries, including Iraq.
He explained, "Power outages in homes and industries severely disrupt people's economies and result in numerous crises. The blackout in industry has led to increased production costs, and eventually, everyone will suffer losses," adding, "We ask the Energy Minister to have a detailed plan to solve this problem."
Koji criticized the Iranian government's handling of the electricity crisis, noting, "While the Energy Minister in the 13th government claimed the potential to export electricity and earn foreign currency from it, we are now facing an imbalance in the country's electricity to the extent that due to decreased electricity production, not only industrial electricity has been cut but also household electricity in the southern provinces."
He continued, "During the periods of electricity shortages, the government quickly halted production in industries, leading to cuts in agricultural industries, and today the shortage has reached homes as temperatures exceeded 45 degrees."
Reformist leader and spokesperson for the Reform Front in Iran, Javad Emam, stated, "Electricity production in Iran has declined due to the uncontrolled flow of water from dams and rapidly decreasing dam levels."
He added, "In the next 20 days, Abbaspoor and Masjed Soleiman dams (in southern Iran) will go out of operation, and gas production will be nearly zero, meaning that the new government under Masood Bezhakian will start its work with an energy deficit of 8,000 megawatts."
Iranian authorities have begun reducing working hours in several cities, especially those with high temperatures, to decrease electricity consumption, with work now starting at 6:30 AM and ending at 1 PM instead of 3 PM.
