By AFP - Agence France Presse
Iranian companies suffer the impact of daily power blackouts
Payam Doost Mohammadi
Baristas and servers stand outside a cafe in Tehran, smoking and chatting, as scheduled power cuts during the day due to energy shortages leave businesses in Iran's capital in the dark.
“When the power goes out, we're almost completely out of commission,” Ali, a 30-year-old employee, said of the continuous nationwide power outages imposed daily since November 11.
“We mainly use electrical equipment here in the café, such as an electric oven and an espresso machine,” he told AFP, asking that only his first name be used.
Despite having some of the world's largest natural gas and oil reserves, Iran has been facing massive energy shortages in recent months.
Years of Western sanctions and a lack of infrastructure investment have exacerbated the situation, especially during the peak consumption months of summer and winter.
To address the shortages, the government has introduced two-hour blackouts, which alternate between various city districts between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
President Masoud Pezeshkian attributed the decision to “low fuel reserves,” saying that Iran must “adjust the fuel for power plants so that we don't face problems in winter.”
- 'Poison' - Mr.
Fatemeh Mohajerani, a government spokesman, said the power cuts were necessary to reduce consumption of a relatively cheap, low-quality fuel - known as mazout - used in some older generation plants.
Heavy fuel oil has been used for years to solve energy shortages despite its emissions causing major air pollution.
She said the public would need to deal with blackouts for a limited time to find an alternative to what she described as “poison.”
“It's unfair that part of society should pay with their lives for the production of electricity,” she added.
But for Mona, another café worker in Tehran - home to around 10 million people - the cost is not worth it.
“The government says it has stopped burning mazut in several power plants in other cities, but we have to pay for it in Tehran,” the 36-year-old told AFP.
Repeated power cuts have angered citizens of the Islamic Republic in recent years, especially during the hot summer months.
In July, the authorities ordered the working hours of civil servants to be halved for several days in a bid to save energy.
But energy shortages go beyond electricity in Iran.
On November 12, the National Iranian Gas Company announced that daily gas consumption in the country had set a new record of 794 million cubic meters.
Economic expert Hassan Forouzanfard cited poor infrastructure, mismanagement, and, in particular, Western sanctions as responsible for Iran's energy problems.
“Sanctions and the cutting of ties with international energy companies have deprived us of both the technology and investment needed to develop our oil and gas sectors,” he told AFP.
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This is even though Iran is the world's seventh largest producer of crude oil and has the third largest reserves, after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, as well as the second largest reserves of natural gas, according to the US Energy Information Association.
The Islamic Republic also exports gas to several countries, including Pakistan, Armenia, India, Azerbaijan and Oman.
“If we have a cold winter this year, we will collectively have to deal with the gas and electricity problems in the country,” said Forouzanfard.
“I don't think the government would be able to control the negative effects of pollution or solve the energy imbalances reasonably and seriously in the short term,” he added.
But Tehran says consumers must do their bit to save energy.
“We have no choice but to consume energy economically, especially gas, in the current conditions and cold weather,” said Pezeshkian.
“I wear warm clothes at home, others can do the same,” added the president.
During one of the scheduled power cuts, a queue formed outside a supermarket in Tehran.
“Since it's dark inside and our CCTVs are off, we only allow one customer in at a time so that we can deal with them better,” said Sina, a 24-year-old employee, who didn't want to give his full name.
“We're afraid that, in the dark and without the help of the surveillance cameras, we won't be able to find out if an item has gone missing,” he said, arguing that the power cuts are hurting the small business.
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