BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 14. Iran plans to exchange up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity with Russia through Azerbaijan, Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi said.
According to Iran's Ministry of Energy, Rajabi Mashhadi said technical infrastructure for synchronization between Iran and Russia through Azerbaijan has been successfully tested. The possibility of electricity exchange was positively assessed during the trial phase.
"At the initial stage, the exchange of 300 megawatts of electricity between Iran and Russia is planned, while during the development phase this figure could increase to up to 1,000 megawatts," he said.
The deputy minister said one of the important aspects of the agreement between Iran and Russia is the rational use of the fact that peak electricity demand occurs in summer in Iran and in winter in Russia.
Rajabi Mashhadi said that, taking this factor into account, electricity exchange through an energy swap mechanism or through transactions in Iranian currency could be economically attractive and justified for both sides.
"Previously, there were different views on whether electricity synchronization would be economically beneficial. However, Russia now openly states that, considering developments in the energy sector, this project is feasible from both economic and strategic perspectives," he said.
Rajabi Mashhadi added that attention is currently focused on trilateral coordination. He said the three-way synchronization can be implemented after ensuring full technical coordination and grid stability.
It was previously reported that during a meeting in Tehran between Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi and Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov, the two sides discussed electricity exchange between the countries through Azerbaijan.
Iran faces peak electricity shortages during the summer months. The country is implementing a number of domestic projects and seeking to address electricity shortages through imports from neighboring countries.
In mid-June, Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said the country's power plants currently have electricity generation capacity exceeding 100,500 megawatts. The current government, which has been in power since August 2024, is working to increase Iran's electricity generation capacity to 130,000 megawatts by the end of its term.
