Mehdi Qassemi-Aliabadi made the remarks Sunday at a ceremony to unveil and sign contracts with gas service companies. He said the scale of universities’ operations and the vast physical footprint of academic and dormitory facilities have made the ministry one of the country’s major energy consumers, heightening the need for serious action on demand management.

He added that 109 public universities are directly overseen by the ministry, with more than 19 million square meters of building space. Much of that consists of facilities 50 to 90 years old that rely on outdated, energy-intensive equipment and require extensive renovation and upgrading.

High Energy Intensity on Campuses

Qassemi-Aliabadi said about 700,000 students are enrolled nationwide and that nearly 1,000 dormitory buildings with capacity for about 300,000 students fall under the ministry’s authority, driving high levels of energy use.

He cited other indicators, saying roughly 180 million meals were prepared and distributed at universities in the Iranian year 1404, much of it dependent on natural gas. Aging kitchen equipment and utility systems have also contributed to high energy intensity in that sector.

Qassemi-Aliabadi said the ministry is making full use of legal mechanisms to curb consumption, including Article 12, Article 24 of the Production and Infrastructure Financing Law, and Article 46 of the Seventh Development Plan. He said the ministry is partnering with the private sector and attracting investment to modernize, optimize and digitize energy-consuming equipment across all university buildings.

Promoting a Culture of Efficiency

Calling universities a social driver of energy-demand management, Qassemi-Aliabadi said campuses can help spread a national culture of efficiency because of their social and cultural influence. He said a “Green University” task force meets regularly under the supervision of the science minister to pursue that goal.

He also pointed to plans for universities to enter carbon-credit markets, saying consultations with the private sector and the Chamber of Commerce have begun so campuses can tap international opportunities in the field.

Referring to a memorandum of understanding signed between the ministry and the National Iranian Gas Co. at the ceremony, Qassemi-Aliabadi said the ministry will use all legal capacities under the Seventh Development Plan and is ready to host all licensed service providers at universities, dormitories and other ministry facilities to cooperate in both electricity and gas projects.

He said the ministry is fully prepared—both at headquarters and across campuses nationwide—to negotiate and work with contractors to carry out effective energy-management initiatives at universities.