US EditionIraq’s first industrial-scale solar plant opens in Karbala desert to tackle electricity crisis
The Karbala solar plant can produce up to 300 megawatts, part of Iraq's plan to meet 15-20% of electricity demand and reduce reliance on Iranian gas, officials said.
- On September 17, 2025, Iraq launched its first large-capacity solar energy facility in Karbala province as part of efforts to increase the nation's electricity production.
- The opening follows decades of electricity shortages caused by war, corruption, mismanagement, and reliance on Iranian gas and electricity imports under challenged sanctions waivers.
- The Karbala plant will produce up to 300 megawatts at peak, complementing other projects in Babil and Basra with capacities of 225 and 1,000 megawatts respectively.
- According to the Deputy Minister of Electricity, Iraq is advancing multiple solar power initiatives with a total capacity of 12,500 megawatts at different stages of progress, which have the potential to meet 15% to 20% of the country’s electricity needs, not including the Kurdish region.
- The solar initiatives aim to reduce fuel consumption and environmental impacts while easing chronic power outages worsened by high summer temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Iraq’s first solar plant opens in Karbala desert
Iraq is set to open the country's first industrial-scale solar plant Sunday in a vast expanse of desert in Karbala province, southwest of Baghdad. It's part of a new push by the government to expand renewable energy production in a country that is frequently beset by electricity crises despite being rich in oil and gas. "This is the first project of its type in Iraq that has this capacity," said Safaa Hussein, executive director of the new solar…
Iraq’s first industrial-scale solar plant opens in Karbala desert to
KARBALA: Iraq is set to open the country’s first industrial-scale solar plant Sunday in a vast expanse of desert in Karbala province, southwest of Baghdad. It’s part of a new push by the government to expand renewable energy production in a country that is frequently beset by electricity crises despite being rich in oil and gas. “This is the first project of its type in Iraq
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