Iraq’s government is seeking international investors to develop seven photovoltaic (PV) solar plants with a total capacity of 750MW.
Iraq’s Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar revealed on 22 February that the government was in talks with international energy firms including France’s Total and some “Norwegian companies” about developing PV solar IPPs, with the largest plant in Karbala planned to have a capacity of 300MW.
The oil minister said that Iraq was planning to produce 10GW of solar energy by the end of 2030.
Iraq’s Electricity Ministry first announced the 750MW solar IPP programme in April 2019, when it invited developers to submit expressions of interest (EOI) for the scheme.
The Electricity Ministry revealed at the time that the projects would be developed under a build, own, operate (BOO) model, with a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to be set up by the successful developer to build and operate the plants.
The ministry stated it would connect the solar plants to the Iraqi transmission grid under a transmission connection contract (TCC), and will lease the land to the SPV under a land-lease contract (LLC). The ministry would be the offtaker for the electricity and would purchase the power from the special purpose vehicle (SPV) established by the appointed developers for each project.
The seven planned solar projects are:
• Al-Diwania solar IPP – 50MW capacity, to be located in Diwania province
• Iskandariya solar IPP – 225MW capacity, to be located in Babil province
• Jissan solar IPP – 50MW capacity, to be located in Wassit province
• Karbala solar IPP – 300MW capacity, to be located in Karbala province
• Khidhir solar IPP – 50MW capacity, to be located in Muthana province
• Sawa 1 solar IPP – 30MW capacity, to be located in Muthana province
• Sawa 2 solar IPP – 50MW capacity, to be located in Muthana province
The Electricity Ministry stated in the EOI announcement that it may award the projects separately or group them together.
