The electricity imbalance in Iran has become one of the serious and structural challenges of the country. By the year 1404, this imbalance reached about 20,000 megawatts, while electricity demand exceeded 80,000 megawatts and the network's supply capacity was only about 60,000 megawatts. To bridge this gap, the plan to increase renewable energy capacity was proposed as one of the key solutions, with a promise to construct 7000 megawatts of solar power plants.
Promises and Realities
The 7000 megawatt solar power plant project was initiated on August 5, 1404, with the approval of the Economic Council. The financing for this project was supposed to come from the National Development Fund resources. In late August 1404, the head of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) announced the immediate implementation of this project and introduced it as a comprehensive program to reduce the electricity imbalance in the country. However, over time, only 2000 megawatts of the targeted capacity was achieved, which is less than 30% of the set goal.
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Repetition of Promises and Failure to Achieve Goals
The progress of this project has been accompanied by repeated promises and failure to achieve goals. The head of SATBA promised in Ordibehesht 1404 that the installed capacity would reach 5000 megawatts by the end of Shahrivar, 7000 megawatts by the end of autumn, and 10,000 megawatts by the end of winter. However, after 7 months, instead of achieving these goals, new dates for fulfilling the promises were announced. Now, in Shahrivar 1405, the latest statistics from SATBA show that the constructed capacity of this project has only reached 2000 megawatts.
This trend is not unique to the 7000 megawatt solar power plant project. The plan to equip 12,000 schools with solar power plants has also followed a similar path. While a promise was made for the full operation of this project by the end of Shahrivar 1405, only about 1300 schools have been equipped with these types of power plants, indicating a significant gap from the initial goals.
Financial Challenges and Resource Provision
Given the allocation of about 1 billion dollars from the National Development Fund for the 7000 megawatt project, the question arises as to why, with this level of investment, the project's progress has not been proportional. SATBA recently announced the figure of 2000 megawatts as the constructed capacity from this project, indicating the realization of 28 to 30 percent of the total project.
As the electricity and gas imbalance is set to become a serious crisis in the upcoming winter, it remains to be seen whether repeated promises can provide answers to blackouts and energy supply issues. If there are serious obstacles to the progress of the projects, why do officials not take action to remove these obstacles instead of setting new dates? These questions and challenges could lead to public and investor distrust.
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