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.