65% reduction in production/We had to send workers on mandatory leave.

The manager of the smelting and casting recovery unit of the Bisotun Iron and Steel Complex criticized the energy restrictions and said: “Our production has now decreased to 180 to 200 tons, which is a decrease of 60 to 65 percent compared to the past three years.”

Mohammad Reza Momaneh, Director of the Smelting and Casting Recovery Unit of the Bisotun Iron and Steel Complex, stated on the sidelines of the conference “Investigating the Challenge of Energy Imbalance and Electricity Pricing Trends in the Steel Industry” that the goal of this conference was to examine the challenges of energy imbalance and electricity pricing trends in the steel industry, and said: “We expect this conference to help find solutions to the problems ahead.”

Power imbalance problems

The director of the smelting and casting rehabilitation unit of the Bisotun Steel Complex continued to tell ILNA: “Unfortunately, the power imbalance situation in the steel industry has become very critical, and holding a conference alone will not solve these problems.”

He continued: “For example, a few days ago they called me and said we need to reduce production by half! Then an hour later they called again and said we need to reduce consumption to 4 megawatts. This amount means that the factory practically has to be shut down and we had to send the staff on forced leave.”

The energy imbalance has become serious

Momeneh continued: “The problem of power outages and energy shortages has become extremely serious since last year, and this year the situation has worsened. From late June to the end of September, the power of this complex was out from 8 am to 11 pm, and we only had energy from 11 pm to 7 am. We are currently facing the same problems and power shortages.”

Production Reduction and Its Effects

The Director of the Smelting and Casting Recovery Unit of the Bisotun Iron and Steel Complex stated: “Under normal circumstances, we should have a daily production of 500 tons, but now our production has decreased to 180 to 200 tons, which is a 60 to 65 percent decrease compared to three years ago, and this situation has made us unprofitable.”

Momena emphasized: “Regarding conferences, I do not think that our energy problem will be solved alone. From the president to the conference participants, everyone only talks and does not act.”

She continued: “Two weeks ago, they announced to us that the problem of fuel for power plants would be solved, but this problem was not only not solved, but the situation also worsened. The energy reduction of this complex has been from 50 to 30 percent, and we hope that the authorities will pay more attention to the problems of imbalance and energy shortage and provide practical solutions to solve these problems.”