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Abu Dhabi-based Masdar will build four solar power plants in Iraq with a combined production capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) in the first stage, an Iraqi official has said.
The projects will be launched soon after the Iraqi Electricity Ministry signed a consultancy contract for the project two days ago, said Ahmed Mousa, a spokesman for the Ministry.
“Masdar will build solar power stations in four governorates with a total production of 1,000 MW in the first stage,” he said, adding that the provinces include Nineveh, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Alnbar, Iraq’s largest governorate.
He told the official Iraqi news agency that the Ministry had already signed a contract with Masdar for those projects and that they are expected to be completed with 2-3 years.
In October 2021, Masdar had announced that it would develop a 450 MW plant in the Dhi Qar; a 100 MW and a 250 MW plant, both in Ramadi; a 100 MW plant in Mosul; and a 100 MW plant in Amarah, adding up to 1,000 MW.
Mousa said Baghdad has signed other contracts for the construction of solar power plants with Total of France and other firms with a total output of 7,500 MW.
Officials said in 2021 such projects would expand renewable energy sources to nearly 33 percent of the total energy mix by 2030 and that total solar production could reach 12,000 MW in 2030.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
