Iraq has approved the construction of a solar power plant as part of a post-war drive to rehabilitate its damaged electricity networks and expand renewable energy sources, official news agency INA said on Thursday.

The Supreme Committee for Construction and Investment, which met under Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani in Baghdad on Wednesday, also endorsed a project to build an international industrial city in the southern oil hub of Basra.

INA said the solar power project is located in the central Babylon governorate but it did not provide any details of the project.

The committee also approved plans for power connection with neighbouring Saudi Arabia as part of a project to buy electricity from the Kingdom and other Gulf countries.

The agency did not elaborate on the Basra industrial city but Iraqi officials said in March a Chinese company will execute the 7.5-km project which will be dedicated to steel and other export-oriented industries.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Bhaskar Raj)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments, and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.