Saturday, 22 May 2021 14:17 Iranian energy officials anticipate serious electricity shortages this summer, partly due to reduction in hydroelectric power generation due to drought, the general manager of the electricity grid said on Friday. Mohammad-Hassan Motevalizadeh told a meeting convened to discuss power needs during summer that the country has an electricity shortage of at least 5,000 megawatts a day. This is roughly a ten percent shortage if consumption remains as high as last summer when it reached 56,000 megawatts. Summers pose a challenge to Iran’s electricity capacity as hot weather increases the use of air conditioning, especially in the south where temperatures can easily reach 110 F and higher.