Step forward for Iraq’s 1 GW solar plant? Iraq’s Basra Investment Commission has reportedly finalized an agreement with France’s TotalEnergies to build a 1 GW solar power plant in Zubair district at a cost of USD 820 mn, commission director Alaa Abdul Hussein told Shafaq News in an interview on Monday.

The plant is part of a USD 10 four-in-one mixed energy project in Basra, dubbed the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), according to TotalEnergies ’ website. The GGIP is 45% owned by TotalEnergies, with Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy owning 30% and 25%, respectively.

More details: The solar facility will be developed in four phases, with the first set to begin later this year and lasting for three years, Abdul Hussein told Shafaq News. The plant — spanning 2.2k hectares — will cut carbon emissions by 2 mn while providing electricity to 350k households, according to TotalEnergies’ website.

REMEMBER- TotalEnergies partnered with QatarEnergy last October to develop GGIP’s solar plant, which was reported then to have a 1.25 GW capacity. The agreement — then said to be pending regulatory approvals — gave each company a 50% stake in the project.

That’s not all: The Iraqi Electricity Ministry has also prequalified eight companies for solar energy projects under the first phase of a Central Bank-backed initiative to install residential solar power systems, Shafaq News reported on Tuesday, citing a statement it has seen. The renewable energy program aims to alleviate the country’s chronic power shortages by offering homeowners access to 0% interest loans from the Iraqi Central Bank to fund rooftop solar system installations.

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