Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said the government would do its utmost to scale up the country’s green energy capacity to 30,000 MW by August 2028, IRNA reported on July 21.

The 15-fold increase over current levels is part of an aggressive push to diversify its energy mix and address chronic electricity shortages.

Speaking to local media after opening a 183-MW gas-fired power plant and 180-MW steam power plant on northern Iran, Aliabadi said the government was committed to achieving the 30,000-MW target by the end of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s term.

“The necessary equipment for producing 7,000 MW of renewable energy has already been imported and installation is underway,” he said.

Iran’s current renewable capacity stands at just over 2,000 MW – a fraction of its nearly 95,000 MW total electricity generation capacity, more than 90% of which still comes from gas-fired and thermal power plants.

“The final goal is to reach 30,000 MW in three years,” Aliabadi said, calling the planned expansion “a major shift” aimed at reducing Iran’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

According to Aliabadi, the government has introduced special investment funds to allow small-scale public participation in solar energy projects, and is encouraging broader private-sector involvement.

“There is growing interest from investors, with demand for investing in renewable energy projects now exceeding 78,000 MW,” he said.

The minister stressed that the expansion of clean energy would be “incomplete” without simultaneous investment in energy storage systems.

“Storage infrastructure is essential, particularly during off-peak hours, to ensure grid stability and reduce the risk of blackouts,” he said.

Iran’s abundant solar potential – with an average of 300 sunny days per year – has so far remained largely untapped, with renewables accounting for just 2.1% of daily power generation.

Last week, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, the head of the state-run electric utility Tavanir, said the government aimed to double current renewable capacity to 4,000 MW by March 2026.

He noted that capacity had already grown from 1,300 MW to 2,000 MW over the past year – a 35% increase.

Officials had warned that the daily electricity shortfall could reach 25,000 MW this summer during peak consumption periods, although Tavanir reported earlier this month that energy-saving measures had helped reduce that estimate to 14,000 MW.