Hot temperatures in Iran have led to power shortages amidst rising demand for air conditioning, forcing the government to close a number of public institutions on 28 July. Peak load hit 76.4GW the following day, up 6.4GW on the year-ago figure, Iran Grid operations manager Maziar Jamshidi says. This is in line with the energy ministry’s forecast summer peak of 77GW.

Although installed capacity of 93GW is significantly above this, in reality available capacity is much lower given the inclusion of 12GW of highly-variable hydropower capacity and the toll of years of international sanctions (MEES, 18 August 2023), (CONTINUED - 201 WORDS)