In Iraq, wind is arriving as paperwork first: a land title in Diyala and a feasibility study in Baghdad.
In June, the Ministry of Finance’s State Real Estate Department approved 20,000 dunams in Diyala Governorate for a 1.6 GW hybrid complex: 1,000 MW of solar and 600 MW of wind on plot 91/1 in the Al-Jazira area. The allocation answered a request from the Diyala Investment Authority, closed out reviews that ran through 2025 and 2026, and formally classified the site as an investment opportunity.
The groundwork started earlier. The National Investment Commission completed a feasibility study for a 500 MW plant, confirmed by spokesperson Hanan Jassim in early 2025 and reported as the country’s first wind power project. Location and timeline stayed undisclosed.
Why it matters
Iraq has already awarded 7.5 GW of solar to TotalEnergies and other foreign and local developers, in a power system working to close a persistent supply shortage. Wind entering the same investment machinery widens the diversification effort beyond a single technology.
What it means for MENA
In our read, regional wind markets tend to begin this way, land and feasibility files first, tenders later. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman all moved from paper to procurement. Iraq now holds the paper. A 600 MW wind block in Diyala plus a 500 MW NIC project would give the region a wholly new wind market to price.
The question worth watching: are the NIC’s 500 MW and Diyala’s 600 MW one story or two, and who bids first?
