Iraq’s Minister of Oil, Ihsan Abdul Jabbar, has announced the siting of 750 MW of solar plants, and at the same time declared a longer-term goal of 10 GW solar by 2030. At the same time the Minister also touted a 20% renewable energy target, most likely for 2030, but given national conditions, the near term will define the narrative of Iraq’s nascent energy transition. Around a quarter of Iraq’s generation capacity was destroyed by ISIS, not a first for the country – the 1991 war also destroyed much of its power plants at that time. As a result, today, Iraq is dependent on Iranian imports, mainly gas, but also 1200 MW electricity via cross-border transmission lines. The US has…