Iran, Spain eye renewable-energy cooperation despite sanctions hurdles
Iran and Spain are examining new technical and educational cooperation in renewable energy, including solar and wind development, even as financial and insurance hurdles linked to Western sanctions persist, officials said during an online meeting hosted at Spain’s economic and commercial office in Tehran.
The session, organized by Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA), has recently brought together 16 companies active in the renewable energy sector, IRNA reported.
In opening remarks, Spain’s Economic and Commercial Counselor in Tehran, Inigo Gil Cazares Armando underscored Iran’s strategic importance in the Middle East and its substantial potential in wind and solar energy, as well as Tehran’s broad plans to expand renewable power generation.
“There is scope for collaboration between Iran and Spain in supplying certain equipment, transferring technical and engineering services, and providing training and human resource capacity building,” Armando said.
He added that while such cooperation is not directly subject to primary or secondary US or European sanctions, “financial transaction difficulties and insurance coverage issues may pose challenges to interactions.”
At the meeting, Mohammad Satkin, Deputy Minister of Energy and Head of the SATBA also highlighted the country’s vast potential for constructing wind and solar power plants across various provinces and outlined ongoing national initiatives in this domain.
The Energy Ministry outlined potential areas of collaboration with Spanish companies, including the supply of specialized equipment and joint initiatives in training, scientific research, and technical development with their Iranian counterparts.
Iran’s operational renewable energy capacity currently stands at 3,165 megawatts, with solar power accounting for 66% of that total, according to the Energy Ministry. As of November 21, 2025, the country’s overall installed electricity generation capacity reached 97,909 megawatts, meaning renewables represent just 3.2% of the total.
During the meeting, Mehdi Tafazoli, head of SATBA’s International Cooperation Development Group, presented the organization’s investment models and drivers to Spanish participants. He highlighted joint training programs, the transfer of expertise on integrating renewables into the national grid, and the procurement of engineering services — especially for concentrated solar power plants and smart inverters — as priority areas for cooperation.
The discussions come as Spain, a European leader in renewable energy, generates 65% of its electricity from diverse renewable sources, including 35 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, 30 gigawatts of wind, and 20 gigawatts of hydroelectric power. The country is interconnected with the broader European power grid and hosts numerous leading firms in the wind energy sector.
In April 2025, Spain experienced a nationwide grid blackout, which some experts attributed to excessive solar power feeding into the system. Technical lessons from that incident could prove instructive for countries like Iran that are rapidly scaling up renewable deployment, officials noted.