ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Thursday announced plans to generate 7,000 megawatts of electricity from solar power in efforts to counter national fuel shortages - affecting the country's power plants - and “advance and resilient structures” following attacks on infrastructure and rolling blackouts.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Head of the Renewable Energy and Electricity Efficiency Organization (SATBA) Mohsen Tarztalab announced the circulation of 1,700 megawatts of electricity energy to the national grid from solar power plants, projecting that “by next year this amount will reach 7,000 megawatts,” according to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Expenses toward the development of battery storage devices for 500 megawatts, amounting to approximately $2.3 billion in resources, have been set aside for the implementation of renewable energy development plans, he added.
Iran in recent months has been navigating fuel shortages and severe inflation exacerbated by tightening US sanctions, constraints on the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Iran’s southern infrastructure against the backdrop of decades of structural mismanagement and chronic underinvestment.
In mid-September, the head of the specialized parent company for transmission and distribution of Iranian electricity attributed the “reduction in gas production” due to "the Zionist regime's [Israel] attacks on some of the country's fuel stations and infrastructure” in the six weeks of war that ensued after Israel and the US launched an aerial campaign in late February, citing plans and efforts of the electricity industry complex “to ensure that electricity supply in the second half of the year is carried out with the least amount of interruptions and restrictions."
Deputy Oil Minister Ahmad Zeraatkar on Wednesday announced that Iran has restored about 50 percent of damaged production capacity at the South Pars gas field, the facility targeted by Israel in March, according to semi-official Fars news agency, projecting that all planned restoration work would be completed before winter. Zeraatkar said in late August that about 40 percent of the damaged capacity had been returned to production.
According to IRNA, the acting director of Iran's state-owned Power Generation, Distribution, and Transmission Company Power Generation (Tavanir) Mohammad Allahdad in early August framed the stability of the power grid as “not only a technical necessity but also a vital component for national security.”
Pointing to the extent of the damages sustained in prior attacks, Allahdad stated in July that electricity industry facilities were damaged “in more than 2,000 points” resulting in a loss of 4,200 megawatts to the grid - representing about four to five percent of Iran’s total grid capacity according to his estimates of summer power consumption at about 76,000 megawatts, according to IRNA - which he then claimed were “quickly rebuilt” ahead of “the peak summer load."
Nevertheless in mid-July, Iran’s Energy Ministry called on residents to limit air conditioner use after the power grid came under strain following US strikes on energy infrastructure in the south, urging people to switch off air conditioners in peak hours “to help ensure a stable electricity supply in the southern provinces, which are currently facing extreme heat and attacks on electricity supply facilities,” according to state-affiliated Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).
Iran is home to one of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves. Khuzestan, one of the country’s prominent oil-producing provinces, experienced outages in the summer lasting a minimum of two to three hours daily as temperatures soared above 50 degrees Celsius.
In August, the Iranian labor news agency reported citizens demanding transparency from Iran’s Ministry of Energy to exempt Khuzestan from power outages during peak heat days, according to earlier pledges that Iran’s southern provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchistan - areas that were hardest hit in recent attacks - would be exempted.
Citizens emphasized the need for continuous power, raising alarm that power outages - whether planned or unplanned - would “cause serious problems in the daily lives of households.”
A single megawatt can typically power around 400 to 900 homes under ordinary conditions; 7,000 MW can supply electricity to roughly 3 million to 6 million homes.
Nevertheless, Tanavir’s CEO announced on Monday a 65 percent reduction in outages this summer compared to last year, “despite the damage caused by war conditions and during peak electricity consumption,” according to IRNA.
Deputy energy minister Tarztalab, however, stressed on Thursday the need to develop the production of solar equipment in order to “speed up the process of implementing renewable projects.”
He stated that the Ministry of Energy would impose stricter measures to remediate the “still very low” rate of use of renewable energy capacity by large and small industries to supply electricity, griping that industries have “not moved as far as they should.”
The announcement of the planned 7,000 megawatt solar project follows a string of recent measures to add power to the grid.
These include the launches and implementation of the "moonlight" project resulting in “savings of 2,200 megawatts in the country's electricity consumption” in late July, as well as a “virtual power plant” resulting in the reduction “of more than 2,500 megawatts of load on the country's grid” in late August.
In early August, Tanavir’s CEO stated that Iran’s electricity industry “is transitioning from traditional models to advanced and resilient structures, relying on smart management,” according to state-run Mehr news agency.
In light of recent announcements and noticeable shifts in diversification to renewable sources, the question that remains is not if strengthening energy security will succeed in weathering further attacks, but whether or not it will prove sufficient in placating an Iranian public already weary of institutional promises amid wider unrest and a deepening economic crisis.
