Chinese state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) has signed an agreement with Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity to develop its first solar power plant in the country, media reports said. The solar power plant will have a capacity of 2000 MW.
Iraq’s prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said in a blog that this was one of the first such projects in Iraq and would supply the system with clean, renewable energy.
Iraq is the world’s second-largest producer among OPEC nations and it wants to cut down on its import of electricity from Iran. According to the World Bank, Iraq was the second nation in the world for consumption in 2020 after Russia, burning about 17.37 billion cubic meters of gas.
Local media reported that Iraq is mulling to add around 7,500 MW of solar energy to its energy mix. There are projects in the pipeline which are to be built by the likes of energy giants such as France’s Total.
The Ministry of Electricity’s spokesman Ahmed Al-Abadi told the media, “We have plans to add nearly 7,500 MW to the country’s power capacity through the execution of solar projects in various parts of Iraq.”
He further revealed that there are ongoing discussions between the Iraqi government and Total for the development of a solar power plant in the Southern port of Basra with a capacity of 1,000 MW.