Energy Imbalance and Solutions for Overcoming the Gas Challenge This Winter

The president stressed the need for public participation to overcome the energy imbalance, a challenge that has been worsened this year by attacks on infrastructure.

According to Mehr's reporter, more people's cooperation and participation is necessary to overcome the energy imbalance that we are dealing with this year more than in the past. This statement shows that the authorities do not see the way to overcome this challenge only by technical and legal measures and they also take the role of people seriously in this direction. The gas production and consumption of the country has been inconsistent for many years, and this year, this imbalance has been aggravated by the war and the enemy's attack on the energy infrastructure. The gap between gas production and consumption in the country before the war and at the height of the cold was about 350 million cubic meters; But this year, due to the enemy's attack on South Pars refineries, about 230 million cubic meters of gas production capacity was lost.

With extensive technical efforts, part of this capacity (about 100 million cubic meters) has returned, and the reconstruction process must continue seriously so that the country's gas network returns to its full capacity. In addition to this situation, the country's energy portfolio is highly dependent on natural gas. In such a situation, a set of necessary measures should be put on the agenda as seriously as possible and all institutions and people should play their role in its implementation.

Meanwhile, one of the most important solutions to overcome this situation is to optimize gas consumption. The CEO of Iran Gas Trading Company has announced that there are about 22 million low-efficiency heaters in the country, that their optimization can release a significant part of the gas, and this is something that should be done as soon as possible. This is just one example. In the industry sector, power plants and buildings also have great capacities to reduce consumption without reducing production and welfare. Optimizing consumption benefits both the country's economy and the people, because it reduces costs and ensures the stability of the network.

It is also possible to use the capacity of Carver companies to optimize consumption by relying on the power of the private sector. By investing in consumption optimization, these companies earn money from the saved gas and sell the saved gas at the market price, thus creating a market based on the amount of savings. An action that takes saving beyond the level of moral recommendations and a market based on reducing consumption is formed. So far, these companies have signed 109 contracts and implemented 70 contracts in 29 provinces. Carver companies can play an important role in this direction and have the capacity to make a significant contribution to overcoming the energy imbalance.

The challenge of Iran's gas deficit, rather than the lack of resources, is related to the way production and consumption are managed, and with the right strategies and public participation, the path to overcome it can be made smoother. What is important is to transform these actions from temporary solutions to a permanent and permanent program. Plans such as the Karver Gas Plan, which is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the current government and is based on Clause P of Article 46 of the Seventh Plan Law, although they are in the process of formation and expansion, but they can be an effective step in improving consumption optimization and reducing energy imbalance, and it is important to strengthen them.

Along with legal measures, people's support also plays an important role in passing this critical stage. The CEO of Iran's National Gas Company has announced that a one-degree reduction in the temperature of each household during peak consumption days is equivalent to saving 25 million cubic meters, which is equal to the production of one phase of South Pars. Also, referring to the sensitive conditions of the northern provinces of the country in the coming winter, he considered the role of Tehran, Alborz and Semnan provinces important in helping the stability of the gas network in the northern regions and said that consumption management in Tehran, whose gas consumption reaches about 125 million cubic meters at its peak, can have a significant effect on the stability of the northern network of the country. Experience has shown that people's support in managing energy consumption is one of the most effective tools and should be strengthened. This companionship, along with technical measures, can play a complementary and effective role in passing this critical stage and should become a public culture.