Iran implements rolling blackouts due to fuel shortage

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Iran has begun implementing rolling blackouts across the country as the Islamic Republic struggles with a natural gas shortage ahead of winter.

Tehran, the capital of 9.5 million people, will undergo a daily two-hour power outage starting Monday, affecting homes and businesses, local media reported. Several states also suffered power outages on Sunday.

Despite having the world’s third-largest oil reserves and second-largest natural gas reserves, Iran suffers from energy supply shortages. Years of underinvestment in power generation and poor maintenance of existing infrastructure have led to repeated power outages in the summer, when rising temperatures led to a surge in air conditioning use.

The power outage also accompanies the ban decision. mazuttoArak, Isfahan and Karaj power plants use highly polluted fuel oil. Natural gas alternatives contribute to high levels of air pollution in Iran.

“By stopping combustion, mazutto The three thermal power plants will force the government to implement nationwide rolling blackouts,” said Sina Ansari, vice president and environment director. “This is a valuable step toward reducing the health risks associated with air pollution.”

As temperatures drop in winter, Iran’s natural gas supplies are insufficient to meet surging demand, forcing power plants to rely on natural gas. mazutto As a raw material. Experts estimate that the country will face a natural gas shortage of at least 260 million cubic meters per day this winter. Negotiations are underway to increase imports from neighboring Turkmenistan.

Iran’s energy crisis has been exacerbated by sanctions over its nuclear program. Since taking office in July, President Masoud Pezeshkian has kept the door open to talks with the United States and other Western countries in hopes of securing some sanctions relief.

With Donald Trump winning a second term as president this week, Pezeshkian said it “doesn’t matter” who leads the United States, adding that Iran has “a limited view of developing relations with other countries.” does not apply.” During his first term, President Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers and reinstated sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Sanctions have prevented Iran from building new power plants and optimizing the operation of its power grid. Industry experts say some power plants need to be overhauled or replaced.

Ahmad Moradi, a member of parliament’s energy committee, said on Sunday that the country’s power grid is short of 20,000 megawatts of electricity, due to “a lack of generation capacity, problems with power plants, transmission lines. It was argued that this was due to the deterioration of the building.

The Islamic Republic is also trying to manage high gasoline demand caused by inefficient domestic vehicles, substandard fuel quality, and inadequate public transportation, with limited auto fuel refining capacity.

Petrol prices in Iran are among the lowest in the world, at around $0.02 per liter. Pezeshkian has questioned the feasibility of huge subsidies for gasoline, increasing speculation of price increases next year.