Country energy profile · Western Asia · latest data 2024

Iraq energy mix & electricity

Electricity generation in Iraq reached 150 TWh in 2024. More than half of it, 53%, came from natural gas; oil was a distant second with 45.4%.

Gas 53%Oil 45.4%Hydro 1.3%

Renewable electricity

1.6%

1.6% low-carbon incl. nuclear

#149 of 158

Carbon intensity

683g/kWh

World 458 g

#144 of 158 cleanest

Electricity per person

3,252kWh

World 3,860 kWh

#79 of 158

Generation

150TWh

+80.7 TWh vs 2014

#32 of 213

Net imports

7.1TWh

5% of demand

#14 of 80 importers

Electricity generation by source in 2024

Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.

Iraq electricity mix 2024

Source	TWh	Share	10-yr Δ pp
Gas	79.3	53%	+31
Oil	68	45.4%	−28.3
Hydro	2	1.3%	−2.9
Solar	0.43	0.3%	+0.2
Total	150	100%

Iraq: electricity in context

Electricity generation in Iraq reached 150 TWh in 2024. That is similar to Argentina. More than half of it, 53%, came from natural gas; oil was a distant second with 45.4%.

The renewable share stood at 1.6%, placing Iraq 149th of 158 ranked countries (in the bottom quarter). This puts it 32 points below the world average of 33.8%. It is also below the average for Asia (27.3%). Generating one kWh emits about 683 g CO₂e here (world average: 458 g). That makes it one of the more carbon-intensive grids in the world. On carbon intensity, Iraq ranks 144th of 158 from the cleanest.

Over the past decade natural gas added more generation than any other source (+64.2 TWh since 2014, plus 31 percentage points of share). The net effect: renewables lost 2.7 percentage points of share since 2014. Total generation grew by 80.7 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity, however, rose from 645 to 683 g/kWh (+6%).

Coal has never been part of the power mix in Iraq in any meaningful way.

Wind and solar remain marginal in Iraq, together supplying under 1% of electricity.

Iraq generates 3,252 kWh of electricity per resident each year, 84% of the global average. Imports cover around 5% of demand: Iraq bought 7.1 TWh more electricity than it exported.

How the power mix has changed

Electricity generation by source since 2000. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.

Electricity generation by source, 2000–2024

Renewables and carbon intensity

Iraq against the world and Asia averages.

Renewable share of electricity (%)

Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)

Solar and wind share of electricity since 2000 (%)

Total energy: beyond electricity

Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 0.6% of primary energy and fossil fuels 99.4% (2024). Per person, that is 16,002 kWh a year (world: 21,654).

Primary energy consumption by source (TWh)

Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.

Fossil fuel production (TWh)

Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.

Power plants in Iraq

The WRI Global Power Plant Database lists 28 utility-scale plants in Iraq with a combined capacity of 18.2 GW. Gas plants account for the largest slice (53% of listed capacity). The biggest single plant is Al-Shemal (2,100 MW, Oil). The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.

Listed capacity by fuel (MW)

Map of the largest plants loads when you scroll here…

Largest power plants

#	Plant	Fuel	Capacity MW	Commissioned	Owner
1	Al-Shemal	Oil	2,100	1988	Ministry for Industry and Minerals
2	Al-Anbar	Gas	1,643	2016	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
3	Erbil	Gas	1,500	2012	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
4	Al-Mussaib	Oil	1,280	2013	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
5	Shatt Al-Basra	Gas	1,250	2013	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
6	Mosul Dam	Hydro	1,052	1986	Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources
7	Duhok	Gas	1,000	—	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
8	Al-Hartha	Oil	800	1979	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
9	Al-Mansurya	Gas	728	2013	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
10	Baiji	Oil	720	—	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
11	Haditha Dam	Hydro	660	1987	Iraq Ministry of Water Resources
12	South Baghdad 1	Gas	646	2004	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
13	Doura	Oil	640	—	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
14	Baiji	Gas	600	—	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity
15	Al-Najybia	Gas	500	2016	Iraq's Ministry of Electricity

Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 28 plants on the interactive power plant map.

Solar & wind farms: Iraq

50 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 713 MW of solar and 0 MW of wind operating, plus 10.6 GW under construction or planned.

See them on the map Largest solar & wind farms: Iraq →

How does Iraq compare?

Iraq next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.

Country	Renewable %	Low-carbon %	Fossil %	gCO₂/kWh	kWh / person	Generation TWh
Iraq	1.6%	1.6%	98.4%	683	3,252	150	—
Kuwait	2.2%	2.2%	97.8%	635	18,402	92.5	Compare
Syria	3.5%	3.5%	96.5%	706	1,008	24.9	Compare
Jordan	24.1%	24.1%	75.9%	530	2,049	23.7	Compare
Iran	3.8%	5.7%	94.3%	660	4,283	396	Compare
Saudi Arabia	2.2%	2.2%	97.8%	692	13,386	455	Compare
Türkiye	43.3%	43.3%	56.7%	475	4,036	354	Compare
Asia average	27.3%	32.1%	67.9%	573	3,749	18,015	Compare
World average	33.8%	42.6%	57.4%	458	3,860	31,772	Compare

Calculators for Iraq

Solar panel outputHow much a rooftop PV system would produce in Baghdad, using NASA weather data.Prefilled for Baghdad →Wind turbine energyAnnual energy and capacity factor of a turbine near Baghdad.Prefilled for Baghdad →Electricity CO₂Emissions of your electricity use. The grid here averages 683 g/kWh.Calculate emissions →Compare countriesPut Iraq side by side with Kuwait or up to three others.Open comparator →

Iraq energy: frequently asked questions

What percentage of electricity in Iraq is renewable?

In 2024, 1.6% of the electricity in Iraq came from renewable sources (hydro 1.3%). The world average is 33.8%. Iraq ranks 149th of 158 countries; see the full ranking.

What is the main source of electricity in Iraq?

Natural gas is the largest source of electricity in Iraq, providing 53% of generation in 2024, followed by oil (45.4%) and hydropower (1.3%).

How clean is the electricity in Iraq?

Electricity in Iraq has a carbon intensity of about 683 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh (2024), against a world average of 458 g/kWh. That is carbon-intensive. Charging an electric car that uses 15 kWh/100 km therefore emits around 102 g CO₂e per km from electricity.

Does Iraq have nuclear power?

No. Iraq generated no nuclear electricity in 2024; its low-carbon electricity comes entirely from renewable sources (1.6% of generation).

How much electricity does Iraq use per person?

Iraq generates about 3,252 kWh of electricity per person per year (2024), compared with a world average of 3,860 kWh. Including all fuels for transport, heating and industry, primary energy use is about 16,002 kWh per person.

How much solar power does Iraq produce?

Solar panels produced 430 GWh in 2024, 0.3% of the electricity in Iraq. The solar share is up 0.2 percentage points in ten years. You can estimate what a rooftop system would produce at your address with our solar panel calculator.

Does Iraq import electricity?

Yes. Iraq was a net importer in 2024, importing 7.1 TWh more electricity than it exported.

Sources & references

Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity

Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2024. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.