Iran resumes electricity exports to Iraq, other countries

Iran has resumed electricity exports to neighboring countries, including Iraq, after riding out much of the baking summer heat which saw the mercury hit 50 degrees Celsius in some cities.

Mahmoud Reza Haqqi-Fam, the spokesman of Iran Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Company (Tavanir), said Tuesday that exports had resumed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan 10 days ago.

“As soon as we secure the electricity supply, we will increase exports, but our priority is to supply power to domestic customers in different seasons of the year,” he told Tasnim news agency.

Consumers across Iran cranked up their air conditioners amid a brutal heat wave this summer during which power consumption record was shattered three times, with the grid’s all-time peak of 57,097 megawatts set in mid-July.

According to Haqqi-Fam, a drop in temperatures this week has reduced air conditioning use by 4,000 megawatts.

“In recent days which coincided with holidays, consumption dropped to 47,000 megawatts but that will reach between 51,000 and 53,000 megawatts on working days, meaning we will not have any electricity supply problem,” he said.

Iran, the official said, will continue to export its surplus capacity that has “economic and political benefits for the country.”

“We are now exporting 200 to 250 megawatt of electricity to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan which we will increase to levels agreed in our contracts with the mentioned countries,” he said.

EA