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Morocco is planning to add 6,000 megawatts (MW) of renewables to achieve the target of 52 percent renewable integration by 2030, according to a senior MASEN official.
‘For future projects in order to reach the objective, we will have about 6,000 MW in addition to what we sell represented in different technologies….solar, wind, hydro and mix between solar and CSP”, Tarik Bourquouquou, Masen’s International Business Development Manager said at the virtual CEBC Annual Summit 2021 last week.
The solar projects pipeline totalling 3,400 MW include 800 MW NOOR Midelt 1, 800 MW Noor Midelt II, 800 MW Noor Tafilalet, 800 MW Noor PV II and 200 MW Noor ATLAS, according to the presentation made at the summit.
Wind projects totalling 1,320 MW include 850 MW Projet Éolien Intégré, 150 MW Projet Éolien Intégré -Taza let II, 120 MW Kouda Al Baida repowering and 200 MW Aftissat II.
This also includes 620 MW of projects being developed under the Corporate PPA (power purchase agreement) law.
The MASEN official also said a detailed study is ongoing to take into account the possible synergies between renewable technologies.
Morocco’s installed power generation capacity is over 10,000 MW and currently has about 4,000 MW of renewables in operation comprising 700 MW solar, 1,770 MW hydro and 1,430 MW wind.
Tarik said the company is working on a green energy exchange roadmap between Morocco and Europe with five signatory countries. “MASEN is putting together a scheme to enter into corporate PPAs with European companies to allow energy exchange between these countries,” he said.
MASEN has signed several agreements to co-operate and exchange knowledge with several African countries, the MASEN official said adding “We have been developing wind and solar projects all over Africa. We are going to start working on a hydro project in Zambia.”
Under the Desert to Power initiative, MASEN along with African Development Bank plans to mobilise public and private funds for the installation of up to 10 GW of capacity by 2025 in 11 countries stretching across Africa’s Sahel region.
Zawya had earlier this week reported Morocco’s first industrial-scale green hydrogen project will commence production in 2025.
(Reporting by Sowmya Sundar; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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