Esmaeil Hosseini said the Oil Ministry and its various units are working around the clock to restore damaged facilities and return offline production capacity to service.

“Based on inspections and reports, we expect a significant portion of the lost capacity to return to operation before the start of the cold season,” Hosseini said. “Nevertheless, the natural gas imbalance remains a serious challenge and requires careful planning.”

He said liquid fuel stocks at power plants are currently at a satisfactory level and a substantial portion of storage facilities has been filled. However, given the scale of the gas imbalance and expected increase in winter consumption, relying solely on fuel reserves will not be enough, and all sectors must fulfill their responsibilities.

Hosseini said energy production, transmission, distribution, consumption and economics are interconnected, and each link must function properly to ensure reliable supplies.

Government agencies and responsible ministries are working to meet their obligations, he said, but managing winter demand will also depend heavily on public cooperation and more efficient energy consumption.

“By saving energy and following consumption guidelines, it will be possible to get through the cold season successfully and at the lowest possible cost,” Hosseini said.

He added that reassuring the public about energy supplies requires both careful government planning and broad participation in managing consumption.

“With cooperation from the public and continued efforts by all relevant sectors, we can overcome the challenge of the winter gas imbalance with the least possible disruption,” Hosseini said.