Millions of Toman Bills and Constant Outages: Widespread Anger in Iran; Are Crypto Mining Devices the Cause?

Despite the end of summer, messages received by "Iran International" from various regions in Iran indicate that daily electricity outages continue in several provinces. At the same time, citizens have reported a sharp increase in electricity bill amounts and changes in tariff calculation methods.

Officials at the Ministry of Energy had previously pledged to end electricity outages before autumn arrived.

A follower of "Iran International" in Kerman said: "Our electricity bill reached one million tomans, even though we suffered six-hour power cuts during the summer, and now we still don't get electricity for two hours a day."

Another citizen from Kashan stated that power outages lasting two to four hours during the summer continued until September 23, adding: "The electricity administration doesn't answer either; they tell us this is the situation and you must endure it."

This situation is not limited to these areas, as followers from Isfahan, Arak, Chalus, Gonbad-e Kavus, and Assaluyeh reported continuous daily power outages.

The head of the Energy Committee at the Chamber of Commerce, Arash Najafi, previously announced that Iran's electricity deficit exceeds 23,000 to 24,000 megawatts.

Citizens Discuss Tariff Changes

In addition to power outages, rising bill amounts have become another focus in follower messages.

A citizen from Firuzkuh said that after comparing his bills, he noticed that "normal consumption" dropped from 300 to 200 kilowatt-hours.

A follower in Shiraz said the consumption pattern on his bill decreased from 300 to 80 kilowatt-hours, while the cost of his residential unit's bill rose from approximately 230,000 tomans to 1.4 million tomans.

A citizen from Shahriar reported receiving electricity and gas bills totaling 33 million tomans, saying: "Do my wife and I eat gas and electricity? No one answers either. They say it's the new tariff."

Another follower said the electricity bill does not include "consumption quantity or meter reading date," and he does not know how the final amount was calculated.

Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said on August 26 that the electricity bill value for 75% of citizens "doesn't even reach the price of a pizza," considering low electricity prices an incentive for increased consumption.

These remarks sparked reactions from many citizens regarding rising living costs.

From Water Cuts to Fears Over Crypto Mining Devices
Citizens' problems are not limited to electricity alone.
A follower from Bandar Abbas said water was cut off in this city, along with frequent power outages and voltage fluctuations, from midnight to 6 AM for a week, and the water became cloudy upon return.

A citizen from the Mehr Housing Project in Safadasht said water has been cut off daily since the beginning of summer, and families still face this problem with the start of the school year, to the extent that their children cannot even wash their hands and faces before going to school.

A follower from the village of Siah Kuh in Gilan reported a five-day water outage last week, before it was cut off again.

In Isfahan, a follower pointed to the continuation of two-hour power outages and accused "IRGC-affiliated mining devices" of being one of the causes of electricity consumption.

The Iranian Parliament Research Center recently estimated that electricity used for cryptocurrency mining accounts for about 14 percent of the average electricity deficit during hot months.

"Iran International" previously reported on the activity of a high-consumption cryptocurrency mining center owned by a person with a history of working in the IRGC Intelligence Organization.

Power outages also caused other daily problems for some citizens.

A student in Kermanshah said he faced a power outage after returning from school and had to climb ten floors via stairs.

Another follower warned that power outages affecting traffic lights, in the absence of backup power sources, increase the risk of accidents.