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Iran to generate more electricity next year – minister

Oil&Gas Materials 2 August 2018 13:06 (UTC +04:00)

Tehran, Iran, August 2

By A. Shirazi - Trend:

In a bid to overcome potential power shortage in Iran next year, the government plans to produce as much as 9,000 megawatts of electricity, the Iranian energy minister said.

“During the next water year, the country could face a power shortage of around 9,000 MW. We need to make plans and generate this amount,” Reza Ardakanian said, IRNA news agency reported on August 2.

The move is aimed at avoiding repeated power outages lasting four to five hours in the summer.

Iran has been gripped with drought for over a decade, and the country’s precipitation has dropped to its lowest level in the past half-century. According to the latest recorded figures by Iran’s Ministry of Energy, there have been 166 millimeters (6.5 inches) of rainfall across Iran in the current water year (from the beginning of October 2017), which is 26.5 percent lower than the same period last year.

The situation along with an annual increase in electricity consumption and the summer heat wave that has hit the country have resulted in power shortages in recent weeks. The hour-long power outages, which have repeatedly occurred in many cities, including the capital city of Tehran, have affected many businesses and citizens. Many people, including the elderly and the disabled, have complained about getting trapped inside elevators.

The minister noted that the government would make use of more hydroelectric power plants to address the problem and make sure that the outage would not hit the country.

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