The Ministry of Electricity of Iraq has launched a PV power program, which consists of seven PV power station projects totaling 755 MW in capacity.
The ministry is screening qualifications of bidders for the projects, of which the two largest ones reached 300 MW and 225 MW, respectively, in capacities, located in Karbala City and Babylon Province, followed by two 50 MW projects in the eastern province of Wasit, one 50 MW project and one 30 MW project in Muthanna Province in southern Iraq and one 50 MW project in Qadisiya Province.
The Iraqi government pointed out that as part of the country's effort to diversify itsenergy structure, those PV power projects are scheduled for inauguration by the end of 2020. It, though, has yet to publicize detailed information on open bidding for those projects, such as the time and venue for the release of tender documents.
According to a report of Frost & Sullivan, renewable energy will account for 10% of Iraq's power supply by 2028, including 5 GW PV power capacity, 1 GW wind-power capacity, and 2 GW biomass capacity. The program has been endorsed by the International Renewable Agency, the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), and the United Nations Development Program.
The program is meant to fill the shortfall of power supply in Iraq, which totaled 11.3 GW (mainly fired by fossil fuel), a far cry from power need of 17 GW.
(First photo courtesy of Intel Free Press via Flickr CC BY 2.0)
