Iran coping with soaring demand for energy despite sanctions

Iran is coping with a record demand for energy this summer amid increasing use of cooling devices and more motorists on the roads and despite the fact that the country’s energy sector has been facing the pressure of American sanctions.

Iranian Oil Ministry authorities said on Monday that demand for gasoline had reached an average of 114 million liters per day.

Other reports suggested that daily gasoline demand had reached an all-time record of 127 million liters on some days over the past week.

Authorities said the demand could further increase as millions prepare to take road trips to southern and western borders of Iran to participate in pilgrimage ceremonies in neighboring Iraq.

Iran’s Energy Ministry also said on Monday that demand for electricity had reached over 72.5 gigawatts (GW) earlier in the day as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in many cities and towns across the country.

Head of Iran Grid Management Company said that air conditioners had been responsible for 32 GW of electricity consumption in Iran in recent days.

Mostafa Rajabi said that more than 30 million cooling devices, including some 20 million traditional evaporative coolers, are currently in use by Iranian households and businesses.

Experts say the fact that Iran is responding to record demands for energy without experiencing power cuts or fuel shortages shows that US sanctions imposed since 2018 have hardly affected the country’s energy production and distribution infrastructure.

Demand for gasoline was at around 90 million liters per day when the US sanctions were imposed on the country five years ago.

That comes as the peak demand for electricity was at levels below 60 GW when the sanctions came into force.

US officials have repeatedly stated in recent years that a main aim of the sanctions was to choke off Iran’s massive energy sector to force the country into political and military concessions.

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