Iran Faces Severe Energy Shortages Following Military Strikes on Infrastructure

OPA WIRE, Oct 31 (OPA) — Iranian authorities have issued warnings regarding severe gas and electricity shortages as winter approaches. The energy sector, already struggling with aging infrastructure and chronic underinvestment, sustained extensive damage during military operations conducted by the United States and Israel between March and May 2026. While repair efforts are underway, officials acknowledge that the national grid remains fragile, with some facilities still undergoing reconstruction.

Saeed Tavakoli, CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company, stated that nearly 8,000 points across the production and distribution network were damaged, resulting in a loss of approximately 230 million cubic meters of daily production capacity. Parliamentary energy committee member Gholamreza Dehghan Naserabadi estimated that Iran lost one-third of its total gas production capacity during the conflict. Furthermore, the annual gas deficit has surged from 45 billion cubic meters to an estimated 100 billion cubic meters, according to Vice President Esmail Saghab Esfahani.

The power sector faces similar instability, with Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi reporting that 4,200 megawatts of generation capacity were knocked offline. Tavanir, the state-owned power utility, confirmed that over 2,000 points in the distribution network were damaged, including 711 substations and hundreds of kilometers of power lines. The total financial damage to the electricity industry is estimated to exceed 60 trillion tomans, complicating efforts to meet peak winter demand.

Despite the scale of the damage, government officials claim that repair work is accelerating with the assistance of Russian contractors. However, industry experts remain skeptical about the timeline for full recovery. Farshid Shokrolahi, a member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, warned that the gas shortfall will likely force power plants to burn mazut, a heavy fuel oil, which is expected to trigger severe air pollution levels in major urban centers throughout the winter.