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Iraq’s peaceful nuclear programme goal of generating 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity requires investments of up to $40 billion and an implementation period of 10 to 15 years, Iraqi analysts said.
The initial steps include establishing research reactors and subcritical systems to rebuild its workforce, while relying on international partnerships from Russia, France, and South Korea to overcome technical challenges and ensure future energy security under full international supervision, they said.
Professor Ali al-Bakri, Chairman of the Technical Engineering Programme Accreditation Council in Baghdad, told Iraq’s Al-Alam Al-Jadeed news website this week that “Iraq’s peaceful nuclear project is operating within a radically different international environment than before 2003.”
He said the programme is subject to direct and complete supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and that the Agency is ready to support Iraq in its transition towards the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
"The strategic plans for the period from 2023 to 2030 aim to produce around 10,000 MW of nuclear power, which will contribute to reducing the electricity deficit of more than 20,000 MW,” he said, adding that a decrease in Iranian gas supplies will result in production declining to about 5,000 to 7,000 MW.
"Nuclear energy is a long-term strategic option, despite its high cost, which could reach $40 billion, and the construction period, which ranges between 10 and 15 years," he said.
In June 2021, Bloomberg reported that Iraq is seeking to build eight reactors capable of producing about 11 gigawatts (GW) quoting the then chief of chairman of the Iraqi Radioactive Sources Regulatory Authority at a total investment of $40 billion.
Iraq’s well-known nuclear scientist Hamid said Al-Bahili said the "subcritical system" project means the system has not yet reached the critical stage required to transform it into a nuclear reactor.
He explained that training these operators abroad costs exorbitant sums, reaching approximately one million dollars per person, to operate the power units and nuclear reactors used for peaceful purposes.
Al-Bahili noted that the lack of nuclear energy in Iraq causes losses of more than $5 billion annually, as this sort of energy is used in the medical, agricultural, industrial, oil, and other sectors.
In March 2024, the IAEA had said in a press statement that its Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi discussed with Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani and other senior government leaders the country’s plans for a possible nuclear energy programme, including small modular reactors (SMRs), with strict adherence to non-proliferation norms, cancer care needs and decommissioning challenges.
(Writing by Marwa Abo Almajd; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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