Iraq plans to contract 1,000-MW solar project

Iraq is preparing to sign a contract for a solar project with a capacity of 1,000 MW, oil minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said on Sunday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the two-day Iraq Climate Conference in Basra, the minister told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the project is large and exemplary for the use of solar energy.

Ghani did not disclose more details about the plan.

More than a year ago, in October 2021, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil said that it was close to signing a deal with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power (TADAWUL:2082) for the generation of 1,000 MW of solar power in the Najaf Governorate.

The country, which is a major oil producer, already has three large-scale projects with a combined capacity of 2.75 GW that, based on earlier information, are expected to go online in 2025.

Last October, then-electricity minister Adel Karim said that Iraq is planning to launch new projects for solar power plants with a total capacity of 5,000 MW in 2023.

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