Iraq imports 126,000 solar panels for ‘Sun of Basra’ project

• Site developed by TotalEnergies
• Project part of $27bn contract
• Power for 250,000 homes

Iraq has imported more than 126,000 solar panels for its largest solar power park being built by France’s TotalEnergies, electricity minister Ziad Fadhil has said.

Dubbed “Sun of Basra”, the project is part of a $27 billion contract and will generate at least 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity that will benefit 250,000 houses.

The project is located near Ratawi gas field that is being developed by TotalEnergies and will feed gas-hungry power facilities in southern Iraq to offset a sharp fall in power supplies from neighbouring Iran.

“This is one of the largest renewable energy projects being executed in Iraq. It will contribute to facing rising power demand, especially during peak hours,” Fadhil said, quoted by the official Iraqi news agency.

Iraq is suffering a severe power and gas supply shortage due to the disruption of Iranian supplies, prompting it to embark on projects to develop its own gas resources and build solar parks to take advantage of long sunny days through the year.

Renewable energy projects planned by Baghdad will generate nearly 12,000MW, Iraq’s oil minister Hayan Abdel Ghani told an energy forum in London on Thursday.

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Besides the TotalEnergies scheme, Iraq has awarded similar contracts to other foreign companies and is negotiating fresh deals with Acwa Power of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi-based Masdar.

Sun of Basra is one of the four sub-contracts of the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) developed by a consortium of TotalEnergies (45 percent), Basrah Oil Company (30 percent) and QatarEnergy (25 percent).

Officials said last month that civil works have begun on the plant, spread over an area of around 22 sq km in the desert near Basra.