Iraq is set to inaugurate its first industrial-scale solar plant in Karbala province in an effort to alleviate the ongoing electricity crisis that has caused widespread blackouts.  

The project, spread across about 400 hectares in the al-Hur desert area south-west of Baghdad, is expected to produce up to 300MW of electricity at full capacity, reported Al Jazeera. 

According to Nasser Karim al-Sudani, head of the national team for solar energy projects in the prime minister’s office, noted that work is also underway on another solar project, with a 225MW capacity, in Babil province, reported Associated Press.

Additionally, construction of a 1,000MW project is set to begin in the southern province of Basra. 

These projects are part of a broader strategy to meet Iraq’s electricity demands through large-scale solar power plants, reducing reliance on traditional energy sources and mitigating environmental impacts.  

Deputy Minister of Electricity Adel Karim stated that solar schemes under construction, approval, or negotiation in the country have a combined capacity of 12,500MW.

Excluding Kurdistan, these projects could eventually supply around 20% of Iraq’s total demand.  

Iraq's electricity consumption reached about 55,000MW earlier this year when temperatures soared above 50°C in some regions.  

Currently, Iraq produces up to 28,000MW of electricity, including about 8,000MW via natural gas imported from Iran.  

Important supplies from Iran have faced obstacles, especially due to unilateral US sanctions aimed at pressuring Tehran and constraining its revenue amid an ongoing standoff over the country’s nuclear programme and military capabilities. 

In March, the US ended a sanctions waiver that had enabled Iraq to buy electricity directly from Iran - a waiver previously renewed every 120 days. 

Iran, meanwhile, is grappling with several crises - including its own severe energy shortages that have disrupted its ability to export gas to Iraq.