Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is planning to build a solar power plant in Iraq with an output capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) in the first phase.

Officials from the UAE company discussed the project with Iraqi Electricity Minister Ali Fadil in Baghdad on Thursday, the Iraqi News Agency said on Friday.

It quoted Fadil as saying after the meeting that the project would be referred to the cabinet for approval and tax exemptions for the investor.

He did not mention project costs or location, but Iraq has awarded contracts to a number of foreign firms over the past months for the construction of solar parks with a combined generation of 7,500 MW.