Morocco : A pioneer in the use of Renewable Energy

Morocco is standing out to become a renewable energy superpower. Despite having one of the smallest installed powers generations in the Middle East and North Africa, Morocco is leading the way with respect to renewable energy.

Nation’s energy technique and push for renewable have been driven by its dependence on energy imports to fuel power plants, with over 90% of its energy assets exuding from outside the nation.

Further, the lack of easily rectifiable hydrocarbons has driven the nation to set a goal for 42% of its total power capacity to come from renewable by 2020, and 52% by 2030 is one of the most earnest aims to achieve clean energy target in the world. The kingdom has likewise been at the vanguard of building the independent power producer (IPP) model for large-scale utility plants in North Africa.

Paired with its ambitious power generation targets, Rabat – the capital city of Morocco- is looking to improve energy proficiency all through the supply and demand sides to guarantee it amplifies returns from its clean energy program.

Furthermore, Morocco’s solar ventures are being driven by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen), formerly the Moroccan Solar Agency, set up in 2010 to lead its solar program.

In 2016, the government passed another law giving the agency a command to direct wind power ventures along with solar schemes. Wind ventures had recently been under the stewardship of state utility Office National de Electricitie et de l-Eau Potable.

Masen has centered its underlying Noor solar program at a site at Ouarzazate in the Southern focal region of Morocco, with significant concentrated solar power (CSP) ventures being created on an IPP premise through long term construct, own, work, and transfer concessions.
The solar agency awarded with the contract for its first major solar project-the 160MW Noor 1 CSP solar plant, in 2012 to a conglomerate led by Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power.

Morocco rose as one of the most exhilarating renewable markets in 2015 with the appointment of Acwa Power to build up the 200MW Noor 2 and 150MW Noor 3 CSP plants, which will have a combined worth about $2bn.
The charging of the 160MW Noor 1 project in mid-2016 went before the signing of contracts for the nation’s first photovoltaic (PV) solar project, the 170MW Noor PV. The Noor PV 1 program comprises three PV solar installations at Ouarzazate, Noor Laayoune, and Noor Boujdour.

Acwa Power solidified its supremacy in Morocco’s developing solar market when it was appointed for its first PV scheme. The PV venture contains the first green bond issuance in foreign currency in Morocco, with IFC and Proparco, a subsidiary of Paris-based Agence Française de Développement, entering their first green bond in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) area.

Acwa Power further managed to broaden its prosperity into Morocco’s wind energy program. The creator launched the 120MW Khallidi wind farm in Tangier in July this year.

The biggest wind scheme, as of now, under execution in Morocco is an 850MW wind program being developed by Italy’s Enel Green in association with Germany’s Siemens and the local Nareva Holding. The association is planning to develop five wind projects of various sites for an estimated total investment of $1.1bn, with all of the projects due to be online before 2020.
The Noor Midelt venture will comprise of two hybrid plants containing PV and CSP technologies, each with a limit of 400MW. The limit of the PV segment, for daytime generation, will be left to the bidders’ discretion, but it will not permit to surpass night time limit from CSP by over 20%. Besides creating one of the biggest clean energy capacities in the region, Morocco is additionally pushing ahead with different projects to improve energy productivity across its power sector. The government has set a goal for 12% of energy savings by 2020.

With the North African nation set to become the first in the region to produce more than 50% of its energy prerequisites from clean energy by 2030, the next focus is to ensuring of utilizing the renewable drive to build up a local supply chain and secure jobs and skills for its residents.

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