Swiss authorities said the country could face natural gas and electricity shortages next winter amid the ongoing conflict in Iran.

Due to the relatively low level of natural gas reserves in Europe and the impact of the war in Iran on natural gas prices, there is uncertainty about the extent to which natural gas reserves will be replenished by the start of winter, the Swiss government said in a press release on Thursday.

According to the statement, a supply deficit could arise if the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is extended.

It was noted that Switzerland has been forced to rely on net electricity imports due to the shutdown of its Gosgen nuclear power plant, which usually provides about 13 percent of the country’s energy consumption in winter. As a result, Switzerland has had to import about a fifth of its energy.

Switzerland’s hydropower production has also been significantly lower than in the previous two years.

Switzerland’s main electricity supplier is France, which until then had supplied electricity at reasonable prices, the Swiss government said.

But since March, the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to a significant increase in natural gas—and therefore electricity—prices on European markets, the statement added.

Also, the Swiss government noted the need to speed up maintenance and renewal of the country’s electricity grid, as around 60 percent of its 12,000 transmission lines were built 50-80 years ago.