Iranian authorities are seeking to reassure the country’s population over the stability of the country's electricity grid , amid persistent US-Israeli threats to strike the country’s power plants and energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened by Tuesday.
The uncertainty surrounding the war and whether it will come to an end soon has prompted Iranian officials to focus on strengthening the energy sector's capacity to withstand any scenario.
Iran has also warned the US of a "comprehensive and decisive response with repercussions for the global energy and economic sectors" should US President Donald Trump carry out any attacks, according to statements made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, on Sunday evening.
On Sunday, Trump issued a foul-mouthed message to Iran to "open the F**kin’" Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, otherwise they will be "living in Hell" and threatened to strike the country’s power plants and bridges. The Strait of Hormuz , a key waterway where one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through, has been effectively closed by Iran since the onset of the war as a retaliatory measure against the US and Israeli war. Iran has also proceeded to attack several merchant ships in the Strait.
The waterway’s closure has prompted oil prices to skyrocket globally, and raised global concerns of a looming energy crisis.
Iranian energy sector and parliamentary officials have stressed that Tehran’s electricity grid possesses "significant resilience" thanks to the diversification of its production sources and the widespread distribution of power plants across the country.
They also highlighted the existence of an interconnected national electricity network that allows for crisis management and power redistribution in the event of damage to certain facilities.
Reza Sepehvand, a member of the Iranian parliament's energy committee, said on Monday that the wide geographical distribution of power plants, along with their connection to an integrated national electricity grid, gives the authorities the ability to manage crises more effectively.
He also stressed that even if damage was done to some of the electricity generation capacity, the country would not face a complete blackout.
Iran possesses one of the largest electricity production systems in the Middle East, relying primarily on thermal power plants, with an extensive network of generating stations and transmission lines distributed across the country's vast territory.
Official data indicates that the nominal capacity of the Iranian electricity grid has exceeded 92,000 megawatts on average in recent years, while the total available capacity approaches 100,000 megawatts.
In response to a question about the Iranian energy sector's ability to withstand any potential attack on its energy infrastructure, Sepehvand said targeting energy facilities in any country is considered a "war crime" under international law.
Mehdi Masaeli, Secretary General of the Iranian Electricity Industry Union, said the level of self-sufficiency in the country’s electricity industry has reached around 95 percent, thanks to the number of private companies in the industry, stressing that Iranians would have sufficient power in the event of an attack.
He added that Iran's electricity grid is interconnected, meaning that electricity can be redistributed through a ring network to ensure continuous service in most areas.
As a precautionary measure, Masaeli urged citizens to minimise the use of lifts, given the possibility of them breaking down or trapping people inside in the event of a power outage.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining adequate supplies of potable water at home, particularly in buildings that rely on electric water pumps, as power outages could cause these pumps to stop working.
The US has previously hit power-related infrastructure throughout the course of the war. Approximately 89 power stations in the Tehran Province Electricity Distribution Company's electricity network have been damaged as a result of airstrikes and shelling, according to CEO Akbar Hassan Baklou.
Iran, home to 92 million people, mostly relies on thermal power provided by natural gas to supply its electricity system.
Among the most important plants in the country include the Kerman Power Plant, the Shahid Salimi Power Plant in Neka, close to the Caspian coast, and the Damavand Power Plant near Tehran.