Rewritten Title: Minister Abadi’s Statements on Power Grid: A Fact-Based Examination
Rewritten Article:
A recent statement by Iran’s Minister of Energy, Abbas Abadi, regarding the nation’s power grid has prompted a closer examination of the facts surrounding fuel reserves and electricity supply.
Addressing the Claims
Minister Abadi linked recent power outages to a terrorist incident that targeted the national gas transmission network in February 2024. However, a review of official data and reports presents a different narrative on the state of power plant fuel reserves and the timeline of events.
The Timeline of Fuel Reserves
According to documented statistics, national power plant diesel reserves stood at a substantial 1.8 billion liters at the time of the transition to the current administration. Data indicates that the process of replenishing these strategic reserves was not undertaken between September and November 2023, leading to a significant decline. The average daily change in diesel reserves for these months was recorded at negative five million, negative five million, and negative 21 million liters per day, respectively.
This trend resulted in a 30 percent decrease in diesel reserves by the first week of November 2023 compared to the same period the previous year. Reports from the Islamic Parliament Research Center (IPRC) had previously identified the reduction in diesel and mazut reserves, alongside a gas imbalance, as the primary cause for power outages.
Terrorist Incident and Swift Response
It is a matter of public record that a terrorist operation damaged Iran’s gas infrastructure in February 2024. The necessary repairs to the national gas transmission network were completed with notable speed. Following the incident and until the end of summer 2024, power plant fuel reserves were successfully replenished, reaching levels that exceeded those of previous years.
A Question of Operational Management
The evidence suggests that the power outages which began in November 2023 were not connected to the earlier terrorist attack nor to the state of reserves handed over by the previous administration. Instead, the focus appears to be on the operational management of fuel stockpiling during the initial months of the current administrative term. The imperative remains the stable and uninterrupted provision of electricity to the Iranian people, a goal that requires diligent and transparent management of national energy resources.