TEHRAN – Iran’s year-to-date electricity consumption has decreased by four percent compared to the last year, Mehr news agency reported quoting an energy official.

According to the Managing Director of Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC) Davoud Farokhzad, although the total electricity consumption since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year has decreased but “we are experiencing an early surge in consumption due to the concurrency of hot season with Ramadan.”

Iran’s electricity consumption rises significantly during the summer season and the energy ministry is following new strategies to manage and balance the demand and supply patterns.

According to Iranian Energy Ministry’s spokesman Mahmoud Haqifam, three policies of “modifying tariffs”, “issuing energy cards” and “changing consumption levels” are to be applied to amend electricity consumption pattern in the country.

Earlier in March, Homayoun Haeri, the deputy minister of energy for electricity affairs, said Iranian power plants will produce at least 51 gigawatts (GW) of electricity during the peak hours of consumption in summer.

"The generation record high of 47,000 megawatts (47GW) which was achieved in last summer should not only be maintained this year but we need to increase the number to at least 51,000 megawatts (51GW),” Haeri said.

EF/MA