Ebrahim Najafi today elaborated on the existing challenges in the field of energy imbalance and examined its impact on the country's economic growth. He stated that to achieve 8% economic growth, reforming energy consumption patterns and managing energy imbalance are among the essential needs.
Legal Powers of Ministries for Managing Energy Imbalance
Najafi, referring to the existing legal capacities, mentioned Article 12 of the "Elimination of Barriers to Competitive Production" law, which grants special powers to ministries for managing energy imbalance and improving efficiency. This article allows ministries to take action in areas that lead to a reduction in energy imbalance, in collaboration with the private sector and non-governmental investments. Proposed areas include the construction of solar and wind power plants and the modernization of public transportation fleets.
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Legal Obligations of the Seventh Plan and Financial Resource Stagnation
Najafi also referred to Article 46 of the Seventh Development Plan, according to which the "Organization for the Optimization of Fuel Consumption" will be formed under the President by merging three related entities. This action will help consolidate financial resources estimated to exceed 200 to 300 trillion tomans annually, allowing effective steps to be taken to resolve energy imbalance.
He cited a report from the Court of Audit, noting that about 31 trillion tomans are stagnant in these three entities. Despite a year passing since the President's directive, structural and operational integration in this area has not yet occurred, leaving these vast resources in uncertainty.
Legal Commitments and Executive Approaches
Najafi criticized the existing approaches in meetings with executive officials, stating that some ministry managers have claimed that no obligations have been specified for them in this regard. Meanwhile, the duties of the Organization for the Optimization of Energy Consumption and the responsibilities of its head are clearly defined in parts 2 and 3 of clause "P" of Article 46 of the Seventh Development Plan.
He emphasized that the complete and precise implementation of Article 46 of the Seventh Development Plan is the key tool for compensating for the existing imbalances in gasoline, gas, and electricity. The Islamic Consultative Assembly is seriously pursuing the acceleration of the release of stagnant resources to move towards production.
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