EghtesadOnline: The disparity between real electricity prices, which include the costs for generation and transmission, and what consumers pay for electrical power has compelled the government to pay 70 trillion rials (about $1.75 billion) in subsidies per annum, excluding expenditures on feedstock for power plants, a deputy energy minister said.

EghtesadOnline: In an effort to curtail electricity consumption and alleviate power demand that soared to record-high levels in recent days, Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir) said it is charging consumers based on different consumption brackets, with the largest consumers charged up to three times the tariffs levied on regular users.