According to the presidential information office, Masoud Pezeshkian said at a meeting on energy supply and consumption management on Sunday that he appreciated the performance and measures taken by the Interior Ministry, the Oil Ministry and the Energy Ministry, as well as provincial governors, in optimally managing energy resources and consumption to ensure a smooth winter. He described the level of coordination and performance as satisfactory.

He said the government’s primary concern is maintaining stability in energy supply and continuously strengthening reserves so that the cold season can be weathered without even the slightest disruption for the public.

Emphasizing the government’s concern for public health and welfare, the president said no institution is more sensitive or committed than the government—and himself personally, as a physician who has long dealt with public health issues—to the impact of decisions on people’s health and livelihoods. He added that all decisions must be made with full consideration of the country’s challenges and circumstances.

Referring to the government’s extensive measures to expand renewable energy production, Pezeshkian said the steps being taken by this administration to develop clean energy are unprecedented, adding that he has personally convened numerous meetings to follow up on and accelerate this approach.

Four Clear, Strategic Directives

Pezeshkian said that until the country’s renewable energy goals are fully achieved, managing energy imbalances is unavoidable. He stressed that such management must be carried out in a way that does not harm the environment, does not lead to gas or electricity outages for households during winter, and does not disrupt fuel supplies for the production and industrial sectors.

At the meeting, he underscored the need for immediate and coordinated action by relevant bodies and issued four clear and priority directives. Under these decisions, power plants that have been shut down for environmental reasons are to be returned to operation as quickly as possible, in coordination with the judiciary, with a report on the measures taken to be submitted to the Cabinet no later than next week. Provincial authorities were also instructed to cut gas supplies to non-essential buildings to prevent energy waste.

In other directives, the president emphasized the need to ensure stable supply and adequate stockpiling of fuel required by power plants and the industrial sector. He added that government offices and executive bodies are required to strictly prevent excessive energy consumption and to prioritize consumption reduction and energy-saving policies in their plans and actions.