QatarEnergy has joined TotalEnergies as an equal partner for the latter’s 1.25 GW Iraq solar plant
To be located in the Basra region, it will be equipped with bifacial solar panels and single-axis trackers
Earlier TotalEnergies had been planning to bring in ACWA Power to join the project
QatarEnergy, the state-owned petroleum company of Qatar, has joined hands with France’s TotalEnergies to build a 1.25 GW solar power plant in Iraq’s Basra region.
The 2 partners will eventually have a 50:50 share in the solar project that is part of the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP).
GGIP is a strategic project in which TotalEnergies, Basra Oil Company, and QatarEnergy are partners. It aims to recover flared gas on 3 oil fields to supply this gas to power generation plants. This $10 billion project will also entail the development of a seawater treatment plant.
The solar project on site, which aims to supply electricity to the Basrah regional grid, will be developed in phases that will come online between 2025 and 2027. On completion, it will have the capacity to provide electricity to about 350,000 homes in Basra.
Around 2 million high-efficiency bifacial solar panels with single-axis trackers will be installed on-site.
In 2021, TotalEnergies entered an agreement with the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity to build a 1 GW AC solar power plant in Basra’s Ratavi region. Energy China is already on board as the EPC contractor. Last year, TotalEnergies said it will invite Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to join the project (see Iraq’s ‘1st’ Large-Scale Solar PV Power Station Moves Forward With EPC Contract).