Iraq targets 33% clean energy by 2030

Iraq is seeking to raise the share of clean energy to 33% by 2030, helped by a solid expansion in the country's solar capacity, oil minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismail said at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum earlier this week.

The Mideast country, which is the second-largest OPEC oil producer, has set a plan to reach 12,000 MW of installed solar capacity by the end of the decade.

Over the past months, the government has already made progress towards the goal and signed contracts for solar projects with international companies such as France's TotalEnergies (EPA:TTE), Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power (TADAWUL:2082), UAE-based Masdar and PowerChina.

The deal with TotalEnergies includes the construction of a 1-GWp solar photovoltaic (PV) complex near the port of Basra in the south of the country while the pact with Masdar concerns the start of a project for a 2-GW solar complex in the central and southern parts.

As part of the strategy, the Arab country is also preparing to sign a deal with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power for the generation of 1,000 MW of solar power in the Najaf Governorate, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil has announced.

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