Iran energy mix & electricity
Power plants in Iran produced 396 TWh of electricity in 2025. Natural gas provides 89.5% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.
Electricity generation by source in 2025
Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.
| Source | TWh | Share | 10-yr Δ pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas | 354 | 89.5% | +15.8 |
| Oil | 18.1 | 4.6% | −15.5 |
| Hydro | 13.03 | 3.3% | −1.4 |
| Nuclear | 7.35 | 1.9% | +0.6 |
| Wind | 1.25 | 0.3% | +0.3 |
| Solar | 0.9 | 0.2% | +0.2 |
| Coal | 0.73 | 0.2% | 0 |
| Bioenergy | 0.03 | 0% | 0 |
| Total | 396 | 100% |
Iran: electricity in context
Power plants in Iran produced 396 TWh of electricity in 2025. That is about 1.2% of the world total, in the same league as Indonesia. Natural gas provides 89.5% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.
The renewable share stood at 3.8%, placing Iran 143rd of 158 ranked countries (in the bottom quarter). That is 30 points below the world average of 33.8%. It is also below the average for Asia (27.3%). The carbon intensity of electricity is 660 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. This is one of the more carbon-intensive grids in the world. In the cleanest-grid ranking, Iran is 139th of 158.
Since 2015, the fastest-growing source has been natural gas: its output rose by 148 TWh, lifting its share by 15.8 percentage points. The biggest decline came from oil (−38.2 TWh). Overall, the renewable share has barely moved over ten years (a change of under one percentage point).
Coal has essentially never been burned for electricity here: its share has stayed below 1% throughout the record.
Wind and solar have barely started in Iran: combined, they produce less than 1% of the power.
Generation per person is 4,283 kWh a year, 1.1× the world average of 3,860 kWh. Imports and exports roughly cancel out.
How the power mix has changed
Electricity generation by source since 1985. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.
Renewables and carbon intensity
Iran against the world and Asia averages.
Total energy: beyond electricity
Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 1.4% of primary energy and fossil fuels 98.1% (2024). Per person, that is 39,204 kWh a year (world: 21,654).
Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.
Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.
Power plants in Iran
The 107 power plants recorded in Iran add up to 61.4 GW of capacity, 62% of it Gas. The largest is Damavand C.C. at 2,800 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.
Largest power plants
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity MW | Commissioned | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damavand C.C. | Gas | 2,800 | — | Moshanir |
| 2 | Shahid Rajaee | Gas | 2,040 | — | — |
| 3 | Karoune 3 | Hydro | 2,000 | — | — |
| 4 | Masjed Soleyman | Hydro | 2,000 | 2002 | — |
| 5 | Shahid Abbaspuor | Hydro | 2,000 | — | — |
| 6 | Kerman | Gas | 1,912 | — | — |
| 7 | Ahwaz (ramiin) | Oil | 1,903 | — | — |
| 8 | Neka (Shahid Salimi) | Oil | 1,780 | — | — |
| 9 | Shahid M. Montazeri | Oil | 1,600 | — | — |
| 10 | Shirvan | Gas | 1,404 | 2011 | TAVANIR |
| 11 | Kazeroon | Gas | 1,372 | — | — |
| 12 | Shazand | Oil | 1,300 | — | — |
| 13 | Bandar Abbas | Oil | 1,280 | — | — |
| 14 | Siahbishe | Hydro | 1,040 | 2015 | Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company |
| 15 | Fars | Gas | 1,034 | — | — |
Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 107 plants on the interactive power plant map.
Solar & wind farms: Iran
145 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 713 MW of solar and 474 MW of wind operating, plus 3.1 GW under construction or planned.
How does Iran compare?
Iran next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.
| Country | Renewable % | Low-carbon % | Fossil % | gCO₂/kWh | kWh / person | Generation TWh | Mix | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 3.8% | 5.7% | 94.3% | 660 | 4,283 | 396 | — | |
| Iraq | 1.6% | 1.6% | 98.4% | 683 | 3,252 | 150 | Compare | |
| Azerbaijan | 12.1% | 12.1% | 87.9% | 632 | 2,702 | 28.1 | Compare | |
| Turkmenistan | 0% | 0% | 100% | 1,306 | 4,405 | 33 | Compare | |
| Armenia | 39% | 65.9% | 34.1% | 212 | 3,292 | 9.7 | Compare | |
| Pakistan | 42.7% | 54.9% | 45.1% | 347 | 764 | 195 | Compare | |
| Türkiye | 43.3% | 43.3% | 56.7% | 475 | 4,036 | 354 | Compare | |
| Asia average | 27.3% | 32.1% | 67.9% | 573 | 3,749 | 18,015 | Compare | |
| World average | 33.8% | 42.6% | 57.4% | 458 | 3,860 | 31,772 | Compare |
Calculators for Iran
Iran energy: frequently asked questions
What percentage of electricity in Iran is renewable?
What is the main source of electricity in Iran?
How clean is the electricity in Iran?
Does Iran use nuclear power?
How much electricity does Iran use per person?
How much solar power does Iran produce?
Does Iran import electricity?
More countries in Asia
Sources & references
- Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
- Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
- Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
- World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity
Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.