Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran will soon begin implementing a project to connect its electricity grid with Qatar's power network, Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi announced on Tuesday, as Tehran moves to expand regional energy cooperation with Gulf countries.

According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Aliabadi said studies for the Iran-Qatar interconnection project had reached their final stages and that the first phase of implementation would start shortly.

Iran, he added, is also preparing studies and projects to link its electricity grid with those of other Gulf states. He described regional interconnection projects as a way to strengthen grid stability, improve energy efficiency, and increase electricity exchange among participating countries.

The announcement comes as Qatar remains engaged in diplomacy surrounding the emerging US-Iran agreement, sending a delegation to Tehran last week despite transferring its role as lead mediator in the talks to Pakistan.

According to Iran's Energy Ministry, the country has about 40.6 million electricity subscribers, including 32.3 million residential users.

Data from Open Infrastructure Map, an open-source platform specializing in energy infrastructure, shows that Iran operates 334 power plants with a combined generation capacity of 78,439 megawatts and more than 84,000 kilometers of mapped transmission lines. Natural gas accounts for the bulk of Iran's electricity generation capacity, while the country's energy mix also includes hydroelectric, solar, wind, oil-fired, coal, nuclear, diesel, and geothermal power plants.