By: AGBI

The first phase of a 1 gigawatt solar power plant in the southern oil hub of Basra will become operational by the end of the year, according to Iraqi minister of electricity Ziyad Ali Fadhil.

The initial phase will generate 250 megawatts of clean energy, he told the state-run Iraq News Agency.

Last week, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani launched work on the Shams Basra project, which is being developed in collaboration with the French company TotalEnergies.

The project is part of a $27 billion energy deal signed by the French company in 2023. Total holds a 50 percent stake in the project, while state-run QatarEnergy retains the remaining 50 percent.

Spanning 900 hectares, the project comprises 2 million solar panels, divided into four units, each capable of generating 250 MW. The facility will also include a 132 kV transmission network spanning 180km, a newly built 132 kV substation and upgrades to two existing ministry-owned secondary substations.

Under the contract, TotalEnergies will operate and maintain the plant for 25 years.

Iraq has been facing a power supply crisis because of an ageing grid, damage to some facilities during past conflicts, lack of maintenance and a sharp decline in Iran’s gas supplies needed to feed its power units.

In June the country awarded a contract to China’s Sus Environment to build a new waste-to-energy plant in Baghdad.

An Iraqi official said the project would be completed within two years and would use nearly 3,000 tonnes of waste in the capital to generate electricity.