Iran has reported a record consumption of electricity amid rising temperatures that have pushed up demand for cooling.

According to The Iran Project, the  Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC) said that peak demand for electricity in the country had reached a peak of 69.153 gigawatts (GW) on Sunday afternoon, up by more than 9 GW from the first peak reported in the warm months of last year.

However, an official of the company told the state TV that demand for power had already exceeded 70 GW, saying the figure was an increase of 8% compared to that of last year.

The IGMC said peak power demand in evening hours had reached 65.626 GW late on Saturday, up by more than 7 GW from figures reported last year.

The Tehran Power Distribution Company, a subsidiary of the Energy Ministry, ordered power cuts for 20 government departments in the Iranian capital on Sunday because of their heavy electricity consumption.

The company had ordered same power cuts on Saturday.

However, there were no reports of blackouts in the Iranian household and business sectors.

Iran has a nominal power generation capacity of more than 90 GW which is mostly supplied from thermal power plants that burn natural gas or gas oil to produce electricity.

That comes as the country has introduced extensive plans to develop its renewable energy sector in recent years.

The official IRNA news agency said in a report on Sunday that a total of 12 renewable power plants, including 11 solar farms and one wind power plant, are planned to be inaugurated in seven provinces across Iran in the very near future.

The report said the new power plants will increase the renewables capacity in Iran by 70 megawatts to a total of just more than 1.262 GW.