“At present, the total power production capacity of the country has surpassed 85,500 MW,” Bargh News also quoted Mohsen Tarztalab as saying.
Although the current installed power capacity is over 85 GW, a lot less is produced in the hot seasons due to wastage, technical problems and restrictions, as power plants are usually not allowed to operate at full capacity.
Many of the hydroelectric power stations across the country are not operating this year due to poor rainfall and low water levels in dams.
However, if they all work, the maximum electricity that can be generated by various types of power plants in the country is about 60,000 MW, the official added.
In order to fill the gap between the current output and the level of consumption in five years, about 4,000 megawatts should be added to the nominal capacity of the country's power plants annually.
Tarztalab noted that dilapidated power plants should be replaced by modern ones.
For increasing the current capacity, at least $500 million are required for the construction of a 1,000-MW power plant.
Over the past decade, the constant rise in temperature and the significant decrease in rainfall across Iran have put the country in a hard situation regarding electricity supply during peak consumption periods.
Iran’s electricity consumption has reached an unprecedented record of 66,000 megawatts, the highest since keeping records started nearly a century ago. This is while last summer, the highest level of power consumption was 58,000 MW.
The 6,000-MW deficit this year (the difference between output and consumption) is being compensated by load shedding and frequent power outages that have affected industrial units and household sectors.