WFC report: $13 billion investment towards a 42% RE target by 2020 in Morocco

The World Future Council has released its latest report 100% Renewable Energy: Boosting Development in Morocco, which provides an analysis on the current situation of the energy sector of Morocco and derives policy recommendations for a just transition towards 100% Renewable Energy.

National Adopted Measures

In order to promote renewable energy deployment, Morocco has so far adopted a broad strategy that includes three main pillars of action:

1. the promulgation of actual regulations and laws to favour renewable energy expansion for electricity generation;
2. the establishment of institutions with the capacity to manage, supervise and promote renewable energy projects;
3. the implementation of projects and major financial  investments to build the required renewable energy facilities.

Renewable Energy Target

The Moroccan government has already started to exploit its local renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to decrease its reliance on energy import.

Through a $13 billion worth of investment in the expansion of wind, solar and hydroelectric power generation capacity, and through a series of new energy policies and regulations, the country has committed to achieve a very ambitious target: 42% (or 6,000 MW) of the country entire capacity to generate electricity will need to be provided by renewable energy sources by 2020.

 

Solar Energy Projects

 

The Integrated Solar Energy Generation Project

Given the huge potential of renewable energy particularly the abundant indigenous wind and solar resources, Morocco has been at the centre of major investments and large scale renewable energy projects.

The Integrated Solar Energy Generation Project was launched in 2009 in association with the creation of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) which focuses on the implementation of solar power to generate electricity with the aim, according to the OECD,  to increase the energy independence of Morocco, which currently relies heavily on imported energy; guarantee broad access to electricity at a fair price for the country’s population; and to protect the environment.

The target of this project is to reach a total installed capacity of 2000 MW with the development of large scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Photovoltaic facilities in 5 different areas (Ain Beni Mathar, Ouarzazate, Sebkate Tah, Foum Al Ouad, Boujdour) covering a total of 10 000 hectares for a total final production of 4,500 GWh (18% of current national electricity production).

Cutting of CO2 emissions

• This project will provide 10% of Morocco´s electricity needs by 2020 and prevent the emission of 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
• The project would also lead to savings of 1 million Toe (ton of oil equivalent) and 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

Investment & Financing 

• The investment costs for the project amounts to US$9 billion.
• Financing came mostly from the Moroccan government and from other international funding institutions such as the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank (WB), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
• This project was the first one to be financed through a new financing system which allowed an optimal distribution of risks through a blend of public, private and international funding all supervised by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN).
• Future financing is expected to be provided by private investors and local banks once the technology is mature enough.

 

NOOR Ouarzazate Solar Complex

Video by World Bank via YouTube

• NOOR Ouarzazate is the first solar complex being developed by Masen. It is located at Ouarzazate, Morocco and is targeting a capacity of minimum 500MW through a mix of CSP and PV projects.
• The construction of a solar complex in the area Ouarzazate targets a capacity of minimum 500MW through a mix of CSP and PV projects.
• The first project NOOR I, with a capacity of 160 MW, is a CSP trough of 160MW with 3 hours of storage. It is under construction and is expected to be commissioned in October 2015.
• The two other projects with total capacity of 350 MW, NOOR II (CSP trough of 200MW with 8 hours of storage) and NOOR III (CSP tower of 150MW with 8 hours of storage) were awarded in January 2015.
• In March 2015 the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) invited expressions of interest (EoIs) for Noor PV I), following the award of phases II and III.

The Promasol Project

Another major project known as the Promasol project is a United Nations funded initiative with the objective to double solar water heating capacity in only three years.

This project allowed cutting carbon emissions by 1.3 million tons since 2002 and it will avoid the emission of 920,000 tons of CO2 per year and create 920 permanent jobs until 2020.
To read the World Future Council’s ‘100% Renewable Energy: Boosting Development in Morocco’,  full report see document below.

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Source: World Future Council, ONEE, OECD . Image Credit: World Future Council.