Parliament committee weighs where a renewable energy authority should sit

BAGHDAD — Parliament’s Electricity and Energy Committee discussed the renewable energy bill on Monday, including whether a proposed renewable energy authority should answer to the Electricity Ministry or to the Council of Ministers, according to parliament’s media office. No date has been set for a vote.

The committee held a workshop with ministries and other bodies involved in the sector, which submitted comments and amendments and asked for clearer legal wording “to ensure clarity of powers and integration of roles among the relevant institutions.” Acting chairman Falah Saeed Jarmat stressed the need to hear their views “in a way that contributes to completing its legislative requirements.” The committee also looked at changes to the law governing the Electricity Ministry to fit the new bill. Participants said the legislation would support diversifying energy sources and bringing renewables into the grid.

Where the authority sits decides who controls renewables: under the ministry it would stay inside the body that runs the grid, while an authority answering to the cabinet would have more independence.

Iraq’s need is wide. Generation reached 24,700 megawatts this month against peak summer demand the ministry puts at 55,000 to 60,000, and former ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa al-Abadi has put losses at 55% to 59% of everything produced. The ministry’s target is about 35,000 MW by 2030, including solar. TotalEnergies is building the 1,000-megawatt Basra Sun plant, the largest solar project under way.