Slightly over three weeks before the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, Iran’s Tavanir state grid company estimated that its electricity generation capacity reached 98,802 megawatts. This appears to be the peak, not the constant, as Iran’s energy grid has been famous for structural problems stretching back over a decade. Iran Wire reported that the grid typically operates between 60,000 and 70,000 megawatts during peak-demand periods. Rolling blackouts and electrical rationing are common during the hot summer months.The vast majority of Iran’s power comes from the 130 thermal power plants scattered across the country, with a combined capacity of 78,000 megawatts. Of these, 20 exceed 1,000 MW. These thermal power plants, running mostly on natural gas, make up 95% of Iran’s electrical grid, which provides electricity for the country’s 93 million citizens.
Where are Iran’s most important power plants?
Iran’s most important power plants are clustered near its biggest population centers, including Tehran, Isfahan, Ahwaz, Qom, and Tabriz.Slightly over 11% of Iran’s electricity output is produced by its five biggest power plants — the gas-fired Damavand Power Plant (2,868 MW), the gas-fired Shahid Salimi Power Plant (2,215 MW), the gas-fired Shahid Rajee Power Plant (2,043 MW), the Karun-3 Hydroelectric Dam (2,000 MW), and the Shahid Abbaspour Hydroelectric Dam (2,000 MW).
