Tehran Times � Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said by applying consumption management programs the ministry has managed to reduce the summer peak electricity consumption by 3300 megawatts (MW), IRIB reported.

�This summer, about 3,300 MW of electricity was managed and this amount of saving prevented the constructing of a new 7,000-MW power plant with $5 billion of investment,� Ardakanian said.

According to the official, based on the ministry data and statistics, the country�s electricity consumption was expected to reach nearly 61,000 MW in the summer peak period, however so far the highest consumption level has not exceeded 57,000 MW.

�This means that proper consumption patterns are being widespread in the country, promising a future of comfort, security, and prosperity,� he said.
Earlier in March, the Energy Ministry had announced that the country�s power plants need to generate at least 61 gigawatts (GW) of electricity during the peak hours of consumption in summer.

In this regard, the Deputy Energy Minister for Electricity Affairs Homayoun Haeri had said that the ministry plans to focus on consumption management and increasing the average efficiency of the country�s power plants to reach this goal.

Later, the ministry�s spokesman Mahmoud Haqifam, announced that three policies of �modifying tariffs�, �issuing energy cards� and �changing consumption levels� were to be applied to amend electricity consumption pattern in the country.

Later on May 16, the Managing Director of Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC) Davoud Farokhzad said that the country�s year-to-date electricity consumption decreased by four percent compared to the last year.

In the past decade, constant temperature rising and significant decrease of rainfalls across Iran has put the country in a hard situation regarding electricity supply during peak consumption periods,

Last year, the volume of water behind the country�s dams went so down that electricity output from hydropower plants fell to a decade low. The situation was worsen by a jump in electricity consumption due to a heat-wave that blanketed the country during summer and consequently led to a huge gap between actual power generation and consumption.

In this regard, the Energy Ministry has been following new strategies in recent years to manage the consumption and lessen the electricity losses in the national grid.