Baghdad: Iraq has started a study to assess the possibility of producing green hydrogen as part of its plan to adopt cleaner energy sources, reports Iraqi News.
The study is being carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Minerals in coordination with the Ministry of Electricity, the Ministry of Oil, and the National Investment Commission. Private companies are also involved in the initiative.
Alongside this, the government is also looking at how to set up cement factories that release fewer emissions. Both moves are part of Iraq’s national energy strategy, which aims to reduce pollution, make better use of energy, and increase the use of renewable power, especially solar energy, in industrial projects.
The Ministry of Industry and Minerals said several of its companies are ready to take on solar power projects. The government plans to generate 12,000 megawatts of electricity from solar energy by 2030.
As part of that effort, a large solar power plant is under construction in the central desert region. The plant will eventually produce 300 megawatts of electricity using 500,000 solar panels. So far, 39,000 panels have been installed.
The project is expected to help ease Iraq’s ongoing electricity shortages, which have worsened due to reduced gas supplies from neighboring Iran.
