Tehran, Iran, June 28
By Mehdi Sepahvand –- Trend:
The Iranian government has authorized some governor generals to change work hours in their respective provinces in order to impede power shortage in the summer heat.
The government granted the permit to authorities in nine provinces whose cities experience a minimum of 45 degrees Celsius in the summer, IRNA news agency reported June 28.
Accordingly, the entire provinces of Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Bushehr, Sistan-Baluchestan, as well as some cities in provinces of Kerman, Fars, Yazd, Ilam, and Semnan will be eligible for the shift in work hours.
The summer work hour for these areas will shift to 6:30-13:30, starting and ending one hour earlier than usual.
Also, the cabinet ordered all ministries, governmental organizations, banks, municipalities, as well as public, nongovernmental organizations and production units to use emergency power systems from 12:00 to 16:00 every day from July 23 to August 22.
The heat wave this year has arrived in Iran three to four weeks sooner than it did in 2016.
Despite increasing its power generation capacity by more than 2.5 gigawatts (GW) since March 21, 2016 (when last Iranian fiscal started), Iran may face 4 GW power deficit this summer.
Iran has increased nominal power generation capacity by 2.324 GW in the last fiscal year and added 275 MW again in the first two months of the current fiscal year.
Currently, the nominal power generation capacity stands at 76.837 GW.
Despite nearly 77 GW of nominal power generation capacity, Iran’s actual net power generation (excluding 10% power loses in grid) level is maximum 54 GW, while the demand is expected to reach 58 GW this summer.