Iraq has installed a 2 MW solar array at a key government building as part of a broader effort to transition state facilities to renewable energy. The project supports the country’s push for sustainable power use across its public sector.

A 2 MW solar array has been built at the Government Palace of Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani inaugurated the solar installation in a ceremony earlier this week.

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office, Al-Sudani emphasized the significance of the project during the ceremony, “which contributes to easing the load on the national power grid and allows for more efficient utilization of available energy to enhance electricity supply – both for citizens and for industrial facilities.” 

The statement added that the project is the first step in a wider project to make government buildings operate on renewable energy. The implementation of renewables infrastructure at the interior, finance, oil, transport and planning ministries has already begun, with a combined capacity of 10.5 MW.

Meanwhile, 30 university sites belonging to the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, 56 school locations under the Ministry of Education, and 54 health centers from the Ministry of Health are also adopting renewable energy models, alongside eight border crossings.

Together, these projects are generating a total 47 MW in an initial phase, according to the statement from the Prime Minster’s office. It added that government institutions and facilities currently consume nearly 30% of total electricity production.

Iraq has set a target to expand the share of renewable energy sources to 20% in its energy mix by 2030. Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) state that the country’s cumulative solar capacity stood at 42 MW at the end of 2024.

Iraq’s first fully off-grid solar-powered community, developed by the Rwanga Foundation, was inaugurated earlier this week.