Iraq signs deal with consortium led by Norway’s Scatec for 525 MW solar plants

Iraq signed an agreement with a consortium led by Norway’s Scatec Solar to build two solar power plants with a total capacity of 525 MW. The other companies in the consortium are Egypt’s Orascom Construction and Iraq’s Bilal. The project is part of a plan to develop 7.5 GW of renewable power before 2023 and follows the signing of an agreement with UAE’s Masdar to develop 1 GW of renewable power from five plants in an initial phase. Iraq is under increasing pressure from the US to wean itself off electricity and gas imports from Iran, which has been subject to US sanctions since 2018, and it has been striking a number of renewable agreements to help lower its dependence on oil and gas as feedstock for power generation.