March 17, 2023
To help meet domestic power demand, electricity exports to the neighboring states of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Azerbaijan have been reduced by 40 percent, the spokesman of the power industry said February 14.
“Although consumption is half as much as in the hot summer days, the Iran Power Generation, Distribution and Transmission Company (Tavanir) cannot generate enough power due to a natural gas shortage,” Mostafa Rajabi-Mashhadi told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
Gas-powered units account for 80 percent of Iran’s total power production capacity and because the National Iranian Oil Company cannot supply them with sufficient feedstock, Tavanir has to lower exports to cope with local demand, he said.
The spokesman said many thermal power stations are off the grid, as they are being overhauled to get ready for summer.
“Imports from neighboring states, including Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia, have also risen by at least 20 percent,” he said.
Iran’s installed electricity capacity is currently around 90,000 MW, but the practical maximum output is actually about 70,000 MW.
According to the spokesman, one-fifth of the aging thermal power stations are between 35 and 40 years old. Based on international standards, the average useful life of such plants is 25 years.
Iran’s thermal power plant capacity stands at 89,633 megawatts, of which 13,500 MW are produced in decrepit plants that are nearing retirement age.
