Mike Douglas Reviews Iraq's Quest to Secure Renewable Energy

During the previous decade, Iraq has almost doubled its oil production, overcoming the mighty challenges heaped onto the country by war in recent years. Future projections are equally encouraging, as the nation's oil production is expected to grow by 1.3 million barrels per day by the time 2030 is upon us. Progression to this extent, if successfully achieved, would make Iraq the fourth-largest oil producer, trailing only the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

A shift in thought is occurring though, with Iraq now conscientious and anxious to pursue renewable energy options because of the multitude of challenges that are hindering their present-day system.

Mike Douglas, the CEO of SKA International who has extensive experience working in the Middle East on matters such as aviation, logistics, and fuel supply chain business, has highlighted some of the factors that are ushering Iraq towards a renewable energy future and how the government intends to attain it.

Water, Gas, and Health Hazards

Gas production, like oil, is skyrocketing in the region, but the means of catching and processing this gas are failing to deliver, Mike Douglas notes. Due to an inability to use this gas, the country's gas deficit has grown and, to meet the soaring demand, Iraq depends on imports from Iran. Needless to say, Iraq's energy system has become exposed for its weaknesses. Last summer, payment problems resulted in Iran cutting off export supplies, which compounded the lack of electricity in Iraq over the course of its peak season.

Another obstacle is the availability of water in the area, especially when one considers that as reservoirs age, oil production will necessitate a greater level of water production than what has been the norm in recent times. Substantial one off investment is required to make this water available.

Finally, there are a few health threats involved in oil production: oil extraction is responsible for a flaming gas that pollutes the air and results in public health issues; oil transportation has previously led to spills, leaks, and localized pollution; and burning oil fields and damaged industrial installations released hazardous substances into the environment as well.

Power Outages

From one day to the next, power outages continue to be a frustrating reality for the majority of households, Mike Douglas states. Although generating capacity has been strengthened, so too has the increasing demand for electricity because of the cooling needs proving to be greater in the peak summer months. In actuality, peak electricity demand has superseded the maximum grid supply of power over the last five years. Iraq's government is determined to reduce the number of power shortages during the more problematic summer months and renewable energy could very well be a long-term solution to this dilemma.

Mike Douglas on Government Ambitions and Planning

Announcing their future vision, Iraq's Ministry of Electricity has established a long-term goal: ensuring that 40% of the country's electricity mix becomes renewable through the implementation of wind, waste-to-energy and geothermal technologies. Also, the Ministry of Electricity prepared a national blueprint of power projects that will be vital in reconstructing the nation's power sector, seeking to include several major energy companies within this strategy.

After the calendar flipped to 2019, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Electricity, Ministry of Finance and Energy Council, created the required technical and financial mechanisms that will allow citizens to access small loans that will help them purchase and install roof-top solar units. Technical surveys were completed on a number of government buildings to evaluate their suitability for solar power generation.

Iraq certainly has ideal conditions for developing renewable energy and more than half of the country could possibly rely on solar power one day, Mike Douglas of SKA International says. Studies indicate that the solar index becomes stronger from north to south. Western and southern regions of Iraq are blessed with the most favorable climatic conditions to produce solar energy because of higher solar radiation. With steady solar radiation, the country's deserts can potentially be global providers of solar power in the future. Photovoltaic solar cells can be utilized to produce electricity in all of Iraq, including the remote and rural areas.

Since the prices of clean energy technologies have dropped, it is sensible for the Iraqi government to persist in its efforts to integrate more renewable energy and soften its stance on strictly using expensive fossil fuels.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes