Iraq is expanding solar power generation in its southern province of Basra as it seeks to diversify energy sources, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and ease pressure from a gas supply crisis, officials said.

At the ‘Basra Sun’ solar power station, the first 250-megawatt unit started operating in March, 2026 and connected to the national grid, Haider Adnan, a TotalEnergies supervisor at the site, said. Adnan added that the full project is designed to generate one gigawatt of electricity across four 250-megawatt units and includes around 2 million solar panels.

Project manager Haider Issa said the plant uses a solar tracking system to keep panels aligned with the sun and robotic dry-cleaning technology.

Issa said the project was part of a broader shift towards cleaner energy aimed at tackling pollution and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from conventional fossil fuel power plants.

Haider Ali Hussein, director of the General Company for Power Production in the Southern Region, said Iraq was pursuing solar projects to diversify supplies as it faces a gas shortage. Additional projects were under development, including 750 megawatts in Samawah and 500 megawatts in Nasiriyah, Hussein explained.

Hussein said the second phase of the Basra solar project had originally been scheduled to enter service on May 1, but delays in the arrival of some materials caused by the closure of some import routes had pushed the start back to June or July. He said output from the Basra solar project was expected to reach 500 megawatts during the summer.

This solar plant is part of TotalEnergies' Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) in Iraq, a multi-energy programme launched in 2023 alongside Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy to help improve the country's electricity supply, according to a TotalEnergies press release. The project also includes capturing gas currently flared at three oil fields in southern Iraq for use in power generation, redeveloping the Ratawi oil field and building a seawater treatment plant, the release said.

Iraq was among the five countries most affected by climate change and the 39th most water stressed, according to a 2022 United Nations report.

-Production: Mohammed Atti, Maher Nazeh, Reim Nahaboo/Reuters