Dubai, Oct 7 (IANS): Iraq signed a contract with a United Arab Emirates' energy company to build five solar power plants, the Iraqi government has said.

A statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Wednesday said that al-Kadhimi attended the signing ceremony with officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity and the UAE's Masdar, a renewable energy developer, Xinhua news agency reported.

The first phase of the project will include the generation of 1,000 megawatts out of a total capacity of 2,000 megawatts, the statement said.

"This is the first practical step taken by the government to rely on alternative, clean and renewable energies to generate electric power and meet Iraq's energy needs," the statement added.

On June 24, Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail announced the signing of an agreement with Masdar to establish a solar energy project in central and southern Iraq.

Ismail also said that the agreement with Masdar is an important step for developing the clean energy investment sector and exploiting solar energy in Iraq.