TEHRAN – Iran has increased its thermal power generation capacity by 10 percent compared to last year, as the country braces for record-breaking electricity demand this summer, a senior energy official said.

Homayoun Haeri, Deputy Energy Minister for Electricity and Energy, said during a joint meeting with officials from the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade that early and intense heatwaves—expected to push temperatures three to six degrees Celsius above the long-term average—are driving electricity consumption to unprecedented levels.

“The country’s power demand is expected to exceed 85,000 megawatts at peak this summer,” Haeri warned. “Despite the 10 percent boost in thermal power capacity, this increase alone will not be sufficient to meet the soaring demand.”

He noted that Iran’s hydroelectric plants, which have a combined generation capacity of 12,500 megawatts, are facing severe limitations due to a more than 40 percent drop in water reserves. Those reserves are being held for critical months like July and August, when electricity imbalances are expected to peak.

According to Haeri, average daily electricity consumption in Iran has jumped from 936,062 megawatt-hours last year to over one million megawatt-hours this year—a nine percent increase.

In response, the Energy Ministry has rolled out 36 power management and optimization initiatives, including public awareness campaigns, efficiency programs across sectors, on-site power generation, and stricter monitoring of usage patterns.

Haeri also announced the deployment of over 6.0 million smart meters for high-consumption users, aimed at improving monitoring and demand-side management.

He emphasized that the key to maintaining grid stability this summer will be widespread energy conservation. “Saving electricity and managing consumption with precision across all sectors is the only way to get through the coming months. The active cooperation of the public, industry, and government institutions is absolutely essential.”

EF/MA