Iraq's Duhok governorate to build 2-MW EU-supported solar park

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday signed a letter of agreement with the Iraqi Governorate of Duhok to set up a pilot solar park with a goal to enable at least 2 MW of power generation within two years.

The organisation has said that USD 2 million (EUR 1.8m) in funding for the project will be provided by the European Union under the UNDP programme “Supporting Recovery and Stability in Iraq through Local Development”.

The 2-MW facility will be Duhok's first solar park. According to the UNDP, the governorate in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region struggles with electricity shortages, as well as air and noise pollution caused by over 1,000 power generators. To address this, Duhok anticipates the installation of up to 40 MW of solar parks by 2030, the UNDP said.

“Establishing a solar park will stimulate the economy through private sector investments, create more jobs in green economy, and above all reduce pollution. The project will represent the first introduction of solar energy supply on such a scale in Iraq,” Zena Ali-Ahmad, the Resident Representative of UNDP Iraq, said in a statement.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.909)

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