Iranian media report shows cement and steel factories across the country have been ordered to halt their production for the next two weeks starting May 15th to control demand for electricity.
The Iranian Interior Ministry had issued a decree to regional electricity companies ordering them to immediately reduce the supply of power to large manufacturers. Cement and steel manufacturers had been required to reduce their consumption of electricity to 10% of the normal demand for 15 days starting May 15.
Iran’s Association of Cement Producers said that the restrictions would certainly harm output across the industry.
Two steel mills also said that they may be forced to stop production activity in their factories in the next two weeks.
The decision to restrict electricity supplies to industries have come amid rising demand for cooling in the Iranian household sector. Temperatures have reached record levels in recent days, causing millions of households to turn on their air conditioning systems earlier than expected.
Iran’s Industries minister Mohammad Atabak strongly criticized the decision to cut electricity supplies to major manufacturers, saying that cement, steel and aluminum industries would suffer a major blow from the decision.
