Iran's energy crisis: reduced work hours, online learning and closed shopping centers

The Iranian authorities introduced reduced working hours for government agencies, switched educational institutions to an online format, and industrial enterprises and shopping centers were left without electricity. The reason was a deep energy crisis. This was reported by UNN with reference to The News York Times. 

Details

The crisis is caused by years of sanctions, corruption, worn-out infrastructure, wasteful consumption, and even attacks by Israel.

Government agencies are working in a reduced mode, schools and universities have switched to distance learning, and highways and shopping centers are in darkness. Industrial enterprises are forced to cut production due to the power outage. President Masoud Peseshkian said in a televised address that Iran is facing a dangerous imbalance in gas, electricity, water, finance and the environment.

“All these problems are at a level that could turn into a crisis,” he warned.

The President also apologized to citizens for the difficulties, expressing hope that the situation would improve next year.

According to officials, the country's gas shortage is 350 million cubic meters per day. Due to the drop in temperature, gas demand has increased significantly, forcing the government to take tough rationing measures. A decision was made to cut off gas supplies to power plants to avoid the danger of cutting off heat supply to residential buildings.

“The government's policy is to prevent gas and heat from being cut off at any cost,” said Seyyed Hamid Hosseini, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry's energy committee.

As early as Friday, 17 power plants were completely shut down, while the rest were partially operational.

Tavanir, an electricity supply company, has warned manufacturers in industries such as steel, glass, food and medical products of possible days or even weeks of disruption. According to industry representatives, losses have already reached tens of billions of dollars, and production volumes have dropped by 30-50%.

The energy crisis was also exacerbated by Israel's bombing of two Iranian gas pipelines in February. The government was forced to use emergency gas reserves, which further complicated the situation.

Against this backdrop, the Iranian national currency, the rial, is rapidly depreciating, reaching a record low. The geopolitical situation is also contributing to the crisis: the weakening of Iran's position in the region and the expected pressure on the country from the Donald Trump administration are further exacerbating economic problems.

The authorities urged citizens to save energy by lowering the temperature in their homes. Meanwhile, the power outage has led to interruptions in water supply and heating systems. Ordinary Iranians do not know whether they will be able to go to work, send their children to school, or even use elevators or traffic lights.

Small and medium-sized business owners say that the current power outages have become the biggest challenge in recent years. The crisis has forced many businesses to lay off workers and reduce production capacity.

Experts emphasize that the crisis is the result of the chronic decline of Iran's infrastructure, insufficient investment in the modernization of the energy sector, corruption, and wasteful consumption. Without systemic reforms, the situation will only get worse.

Recall

[UNNwrote that the UK, France and Germany accused Iran of increasing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to an “unprecedented level”.