Iran is approaching winter with chronic gas shortages that have been intensified by reduced production capacity and damage to energy infrastructure after the war.

Mohammadreza Aref, First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said that in the past two wars, 250 million cubic meters of gas were taken out of the network, and the government hopes to restore 100 million cubic meters before the start of the cold season. This comes while last winter, gas shortages on cold days reached about 300 million cubic meters per day.

The gas crisis has repeated almost every winter over the past five years, and the government has distributed restrictions among households, industries, and power plants in order to maintain the network. Reduced supply to steel, petrochemical, and cement industries limits production, and shortages of gas at power plants can also lead to increased consumption of diesel and mazut and power outages.

About 70 to 75 percent of Iran’s gas is supplied from South Pars; a field that is facing a natural decline in pressure. The $17 billion pressure boosting project is also still in its early stages.

Thus, Iran is entering this winter with lower capacity and damaged infrastructure, and a gas shortage could lead to reduced production, power outages, increased pollution, and a decline in exports.