French energy major TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTE) said today it intends to build a 1-GWp solar photovoltaic (PV) complex near the port of Basra, in southern Iraq.
This initiative is part of the company’s plan to invest around USD 10 billion (EUR 8.43bn) in three projects aimed at improving Iraq’s electricity supply and oil and gas extraction. Three agreements on the matter were signed with the Iraqi Ministries of Oil and Electricity.
Specific details about the PV project were not disclosed.
As part of its wider commitment to address Iraq’s power deficit, TotalEnergies will build installations to recover gas that is flared on three oil fields and supply 3 GW of power generation capacity under a two-phase project. The construction of a seawater treatment unit aimed at supporting oil and gas production in Basra is also envisaged.
TotalEnergies’ plans for solar deployment in Iraq come on the heels of announcements for massive PV farms by Masdar, part of Abu Dhabi government’s Mubadala Investment Company and Chinese state-owned conglomerate Power Construction Corp of China (Power China). Each of them recently signed deals to add 2 GW of solar power capacity in the Middle Eastern country.
(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.843)
Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!