Masdar Launches 1GW Solar Project in Iraq

Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy developer Masdar has begun deploying a 1 GW solar power capacity project in four Iraqi provinces, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said on Sunday (26 June).

Ahmed Moussa, a spokesman for the ministry, told the Iraqi News Agency on Sunday that a legal consultancy agreement for the large-scale scheme was signed last week, providing the conditions for the start of work.

As part of the project, Masdar will build two solar parks of 100 megawatts each in Maysan and Ninewa provinces, a 450 megawatt solar power plant in Dhi Qar and a fourth solar power plant with a capacity of 350 megawatts in Anbar.

Musa noted that the government is seeking to diversify electricity generation in the four provinces and will be able to reduce electricity prices following negotiations. The spokesman added that the site for the construction of the solar power plant has been selected in coordination with the provincial authorities and that Masdar has begun a topographical study of the land to assess the environmental impact of the project.

The 1-GW agreement with Masdar is one of three solar projects agreed last year between the Iraqi government and international companies with a total capacity of 2.75 GW. The other two agreements include one with TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTE) for the deployment of a 1-GWp solar power plant and 750 MW of solar power by Chinese state-owned conglomerate Power China. of solar power plants and 750 MW of solar power capacity.

As Kamal Hussein Latif, head of the Iraqi Radioactive Sources Control Board, said at the end of April, the three projects are expected to be operational by 2025, despite the obstacles associated with grid connection.