Iran’s power sector is entering winter with record growth, despite sanctions and forex limits. The national grid, over 23 years old and serving 42 million subscribers, has expanded faster than expected. The figures tell a story of resilience as much as engineering.
Electricity industry spokesman Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said operating such a vast system—under supply-demand imbalance and war—is doubly difficult. Yet young specialists at the National Power Grid Control Center kept it stable. At the “25 Degrees, Covenant of Empathy” policy council, he outlined the gains.
Renewable capacity jumped from 1,250 megawatts before the 14th government to 6,000 megawatts, a fourfold rise. Thermal power added 3,000 megawatts this year: 2,450 from steam units, which use fuel more efficiently, and 500 from other units. Eighty new transmission and super-distribution substations were built amid severe financial constraints. Grid smartening doubled, improving efficiency and cutting losses.
Summer passed successfully, but winter brings fuel-supply challenges. Mashhadi said detailed plans are ready. He hoped the public empathy shown in summer will carry Iran through winter, with any gas shortage managed intelligently. Record capacity still matters, but public cooperation ultimately remains the grid’s quiet backbone.
