Schools and public institutions in Tehran will remain closed for a third day in a row, Iranian state television reported today, and several power plants have been shut down due to a power shortage, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
Iran is an energy giant with the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world according to the US Energy Information Administration, and in 2022 it was the seventh-largest crude oil producer in the world. However, Iran's electricity grid, however, suffers from a lack of investment in infrastructure, mainly due to Western sanctions, AFP notes. The cold weather is also affecting energy supplies, especially gas.
"Schools, universities and government offices in Tehran and the surrounding area will be closed (again) tomorrow," state television said, citing the "prolonged cold" as the reason for the measure.
Temperatures in Tehran are expected to drop to minus 3 degrees Celsius tonight, leading to an increase in gas consumption for heating.
In recent weeks, Iran has already been forced to curtail electricity due to a lack of gas and fuel to power its power plants.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized today for the repeated power outages that have angered citizens.
Schools and public offices were closed in several other regions.
Several power plants in Iran's northern Golestan province have been shut down due to a lack of gas, AFP also reported, citing local sources. In this part of the country, temperatures dropped to minus 5 degrees Celsius.
In the central province of Lorestan, about 200 kilometers from the capital Tehran, some gas-fired power plants have also been shut down for this reason.
More than half of Iran's provinces are affected to varying degrees by the energy shortage. At the same time, gas consumption has increased by 18% compared to the same period last year.