"The previous record at 7,400 MW was registered on a hot summer day on July 10, 2018, and the new peak was recorded this spring (June 9)!" Mahmoud Dasht-Bozorg was quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry news portal.
The official noted that the demand in 2018 reached a peak in summer when the average temperature in the province surpassed 50°C. Nonetheless, the new high was recorded in spring when the average mercury was barely 48°C.
According to Dasht-Bozorg, Khuzestan temperature is forecast to surpass 50 degrees Celsius in the coming days pushing up demand for more electricity, Financial Tribune reported.
The mercury in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province, showed a sweltering 49°C on Monday.
"With one degree Celsius rise in temperature above 47°C, power load in the national grid will shoot up by 250 MW," he noted, appealing to subscribers to reduce their consumption as much as they can.
Referring to measures to help the company avoid periodic outages, he added that six mega transformers are being installed in Ahvaz and Omidiyeh substations.
The 315 mega volt ampere and 765 kilovolt (kV) transformers were indigenized by Iran Transfo Zanjan Company, a subsidiary of Iran Transfo Industrial Group.
Moreover, to stabilize power supply in the oil-rich province, nine mobile substations were synchronized with the national grid and 12 gas-insulated substations are operational.
"Mobile substations are an ideal solution whenever utilities and industries need interim grid connections and temporary power supplies," he said, adding that applications range from power supply during emergencies and outages to moving loads and the integration of distributed or renewable generation.
According to Houshang Falahatian, a deputy energy minister, the ministry allocated 1 trillion rials ($7 million) to restore power in Khuzestan in 2017.
The national network load reached 58,000 megawatts during peak hours in the last fiscal and is expected to surpass 61 gigawatts this summer.