The Iran Project
: The Iranian government has announced a second public holiday in a row in many cities and towns amid efforts to control a rising demand for heating that has pressured gas-fired power plants in the country.
Monday 16 December 2024 - 16:00
Story Code : 432857
Source : Press TV
Iran declares holidays to curb energy demand
Authorities on Sunday renewed orders for schools, universities, and government departments to remain closed for a second consecutive day on Monday.
That came amid a campaign to urge the public to control their use of natural gas as temperatures dropped to below zero degrees Celsius in 18 out of 31 Iranian provinces.
That comes as increased demand for heating has led to restrictions on the supply of natural gas to Iranian power plants in recent weeks.
However, power plants are also struggling with low inventories of gasoil and mazut, which the Energy Ministry has blamed on record electricity consumption during summer months, leading authorities to introduce scheduled power cuts in large cities.
The semi-official Fars news agency said that 17 power plants across Iran may be forced to completely stop their operations in the coming days because of a shortage of feedstock.
Iranian Oil Ministry authorities said gas demand in the country’s household and business sector had reached an all-time high of 601 million cubic meters (mcm) per day while forecasts showed that the demand could reach 690 mcm per day in the coming days.
They also said that gas pressure could drop in six provinces in the northeast and northwest of Iran because of the growing pressure on the country’s pipeline network.
Reporter : Editorial of The Iran Project
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