Iraq’s Electricity Ministry plans to develop a series of renewable energy projects across the country.

Speaking at MEED’s Iraq Power & Gas Projects conference in Istanbul on 13 June, Ala’a Disher Zamil, the head of the independent power project (IPP) programme at the ministry, said seven sites have been identified for renewable energy projects.

Five sites have been identified as sites for solar power projects with the potential to develop the following power capacities:

• Al-Waleed Border Office: 20MW
• Rutba: 10MW
• Nukhaib: 10MW
• Al-Ahwar: 30MW
• Al-Salman: 10MW

Two sites in central Iraq have been singled out for geothermal power plant development. One site is at Al-Kifil and could have a capacity of 300MW and the other site is at Al-Najaf and could generate 450MW.

According to Zamil, the schemes are at a very early stage of development. The ministry has completed studies and it is not yet clear whether the ministry will decide to develop the plants as IPPs or contract as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) deals.

Unlike the traditional power projects, there will be no equipment procurement stage, whereby the ministry purchases equipment for developers to use. “We want [developers] to bring their own technologies,” said Zamil.