Ismail Saghab-Asfahani, at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of cooperation between the Energy Optimization and Strategic Management Organization and the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, referred to the position of the Energy Optimization Organization and stated that this organization, as a policymaking, regulatory, and supervisory body, uses the existing capacities of the country for the integration and management of energy consumption instead of creating parallel organizations.
Energy Consumption Status in Iran
The Vice President referred to the country's performance in the energy production sector and, despite sanctions and various obstructions, announced that with the involvement of the country's elites in developing production capacities, we have achieved technologies that are unparalleled in the world. However, he also added that we have not performed well in the consumption sector.
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Global Rank in Energy Consumption Intensity
Saghab-Asfahani described the energy intensity index as the most prominent symbol of energy imbalance and said: This index, which should have decreased, today holds the first rank in the world both in absolute numbers and in growth rate. He considered this situation indicative of deep-rooted wastefulness in all economic, residential, and transportation sectors and emphasized the need for collective action.
He regarded the reform of the energy structure as contingent upon balanced and simultaneous changes in technology, services, products, and cultural development, noting that past experiences have shown that one-dimensional approaches do not yield results. Saghab-Asfahani identified the main problem in the path of developing knowledge-based technologies as the inability to stimulate demand and stated that the main goal of signing this memorandum is to integrate capacities to create motivation and stimulate demand for innovative technologies to reduce consumption.
He also emphasized that major consumers and automakers should economically adopt energy-saving technologies. Saghab-Asfahani described the high level of energy waste in the country, despite challenges, as a golden opportunity to accelerate the country's economy and stated that reforming consumption in equipment such as smart meters and collecting flare gases is much closer and less costly than expensive upstream projects.
In conclusion, he emphasized that this memorandum is not merely ceremonial and that with the establishment of a joint executive secretariat, the progress report will be presented to the government and the public. The aim of these actions is to optimize consumption and control energy instabilities.
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