Iraq is set to open its first industrial-scale solar plant in a vast desert area in Karbala as the government attempts to tackle an electricity crisis that has led to widespread blackouts. The facility was inaugurated by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani via videoconference on Sunday, his press office said. The solar park currently. Al-Zawraa General Company, part of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, has signed a new contract to supply, install and operate a hybrid solar power plant for the Arab Oil Training Institute. The Baghdad government has stepped up the effort to adopt a more environmentally sustainable energy policy that includes combining renewable energy additions and reducing gas flaring from oil operations. Its capacity is expected to reach 75 MW within the next two moves, ahead of a final 300 MW target.