ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of a major solar power plant in the country’s southern Karbala province that is expected to have a production capacity of 1,000 megawatts once fully operational, state media reported.
The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted Karbala Governor Nassif al-Khattabi as announcing “the allocation of an 8,000-dunum plot of land for a new renewable energy project that will produce 1,000 megawatts.”
Given that a dunum in Iraq equals 2,500 square meters, the referenced project spans some 20 square kilometers.
Khattabi described the project in Karbala as “the first of its kind in Iraq,” affirming the province’s readiness to “begin preparations for the second phase of the project.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani officially inaugurated the first phase of the Karbala Solar Power Plant via video call.
In a statement on X, the premier’s office quoted him as stating that the initiative “marks the first time Iraq has produced electricity from a solar power plant,” adding that “it currently generates 22 megawatts and is expected to reach 75 megawatts within two months.”
The prime minister further affirmed Baghdad’s commitment to expanding its solar energy strategy “with new renewable, clean, and sustainable energy projects set to be completed soon.”
“Solar energy projects are a key pillar” for Iraq’s current and future energy strategies, Sudani said, emphasizing “the importance of equipping residential units” and “other housing projects with solar energy.”
For years, Iraq has been grappling with electricity shortages, forcing citizens to rely on costly and polluting diesel generators during frequent national grid outages.
Ahmed Musa, spokesperson for Iraq’s electricity ministry, told Rudaw on Saturday that Iraq currently generates up to 25,500 megawatts of electricity but needs to produce nearly 54,000 megawatts to meet 24-hour demand nationwide.
Baghdad is also working to diversify its energy sources after Washington in March rescinded a waiver that had allowed it to purchase electricity from neighboring Iran. Alternatives under consideration include utilizing its own natural gas and importing electricity from Jordan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.
Moreover, the announcement of the Karbala Solar Project comes just one day after Iraq’s electricity ministry praised the Kurdistan Region's 24-hour electricity initiative Runaki as a "successful" endeavour that it may try to duplicate.
"The Kurdistan Region's 24-hour Runaki project is a pioneer and a great example,” Musa said, adding that the electricity ministry follows up on every successful project to be acquainted with it."
"For this purpose, we have visited Kurdistan. We hope we will be able to implement this project in Iraq as a whole as well."
Runaki - meaning “light” in Kurdish - is a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) flagship initiative to provide uninterrupted electricity and reform and stabilize the Region’s energy sector. It includes smart meter installations, a tiered pricing system, and a focus on grid modernization and sustainable energy.
According to the KRG’s electricity ministry, nearly four million residents of the Kurdistan Region - over 50 percent of the Region’s population - now benefit from the program.
