The Islamic Republic has turned to importing electricity from Turkey and Turkmenistan to make up for power cuts to industry and petrochemical complexes. According to Iran International's report on Saturday, 10 October 2026, Mohammad Allahdad, chief executive of Tavanir, has said about 4,700 megawatts of the power generation capacity of the industrial and petrochemical sector has gone out of service for various reasons.
The official said the infrastructure needed to deliver electricity imported from Turkey to the petrochemical plants through the national grid is in place, but no supply contract has yet been signed, and without such contracts the power supply of these industries will "face challenges". He also said there is currently no plan to export electricity and that the focus is on imports, especially for winter.
War damage to industrial power facilities
According to the same report, serious war damage to the power supply facilities of the petrochemical complexes has sharply increased their dependence on the national grid, so that this summer the grid supplied this sector with six times as much electricity as in previous years. This strain falls on a grid whose citizens have repeatedly faced power cuts and widespread blackouts in recent months.
The Islamic Republic is at the same time negotiating with Turkmenistan to extend the current electricity import contract and increase its volume, and, according to government officials, building new border lines and even transiting electricity to third countries has also been raised, subject to technical and economic studies.
The Islamic Republic, which for years talked of exporting electricity, has now become dependent on its neighbours' electricity to keep its industries running.
Turkey between Tehran's need and Washington's pressure
The request for more electricity from Turkey comes as the United States says Ankara is cooperating in restricting the Islamic Republic's overland trade routes. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Newsmax that Washington is working with Turkey and Pakistan to close the Islamic Republic's overland trade routes, and described the UAE and Oman as partners in the effort. He had earlier announced a shift from "maximum pressure" to the "total isolation" campaign against the Islamic Republic; on Thursday the US Treasury also sanctioned 17 shadow-fleet tankers of the Islamic Republic.
The shortage of power for industry, along with the collapse in oil exports and the naval blockade, adds new pressure on an economy whose cost is borne above all by workers and ordinary citizens.
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