Schools, government offices closed across Iran

Severe natural gas shortages forced the closure of government offices and schools across nearly two-thirds of Iran’s provinces on Saturday, amid declining production and high winter consumption.

Officials say the closures, which necessitated online schooling, aim to manage dwindling resources.

Hassan Mousavi, spokesperson for the National Iranian Gas Company, said gas consumption on January 10 rose significantly compared to the same day last year.

“605 million cubic meters of natural gas were allocated to the residential, commercial, and small-scale industrial sectors on Friday, which represents a 10 percent increase compared to the same period last year,” he added.

Tehran Province completely shut down its government offices, with similar closures reported in provinces like Isfahan, Fars, and Qom in central and southern Iran, as well as in two northeastern provinces and several in the northwest and north.

This is not the first time such measures have been implemented. Recent weeks have seen similar shutdowns in Tehran and other provinces, often linked to air pollution or energy crises.

The crisis has revived memories of the summer, when nationwide blackouts due to insufficient power generation led to significant disruptions. With no immediate solutions in sight, Abbas Aliabadi, Minister of Energy, recently acknowledged the gravity of the situation.

Although Iranian officials insist that energy consumption is rising, the country is in the midst of an economic crisis. The main issue is declining production in Iran's main gas fields in the Persian Gulf, where natural gas pressure is falling and tens of billions of dollars in new investment and technology are needed.

Iran's energy shortage is primarily driven by a combination of outdated infrastructure, inefficient energy consumption, and a lack of investment in modern technologies. The country's power grid, gas pipelines, and energy generation plants often operate at or near full capacity, making them vulnerable to failures and inefficiencies.