Morocco’s largest solar power plant, Noor III, has resumed operations after a technical shutdown in February 2024 due to a leak in the hot molten salt reservoir, a key component for power generation and thermal storage, according to a press release.
The failure of this critical system, reads the statement, required a highly technical repair due to the equipment’s exposure to extreme thermal and mechanical stresses.
The restoration process was therefore carefully managed, with the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) and its partners applying their technical expertise, implementing targeted interventions, and enhancing control measures to ensure a safe and efficient restart.
To enhance reliability, Masen revealed that a second, improved reservoir is under construction to complement the existing infrastructure and strengthen operational resilience.
Financial losses:
The shutdown of the Noor Ouarzazate III solar power plant was initially expected to last until November 2024, but Saudi company ACWA Power, the project’s developer, later announced it would extend until the end of Q1 2025—bringing the total downtime to 14 months.
Last month, a report by the Attaqa platform revealed that the shutdown of the 150-megawatt Noor III plant has cost the operating company over $51 million in losses over the past year due to repeated technical failures and operational issues.
ACWA Power had also reported a 5.98% drop in revenue for the first quarter of 2024, while its profits increased by 9.8% compared to the previous year.
Setbacks and restart:
The plant, built for $862 million and operational since 2018, uses concentrated solar power (CSP) technology with heliostat mirrors that focus sunlight on a central tower, storing heat in molten salts (up to 565°C) to produce electricity after sunset.
It plays a key role in delivering clean electricity and advancing the country’s climate goals, supporting plans to raise the share of renewables in the national energy mix to over 52% by 2030.
Despite these efforts, a previous Reuters investigation highlighted that Morocco’s solar energy transition is falling behind, with only about 830 megawatts installed out of the planned 2,000 megawatts.
Following the shutdown of Noor III, experts raised concerns about Morocco’s ongoing reliance on concentrated solar power, highlighting the risks associated with its storage.
But now Noor Ouarzazate III is back online, contributing to Morocco’s renewable energy production, in line with the country’s energy transition strategy launched in 2009, according to the statement.
“This restart reflects the strong efforts of our teams, tackling complex challenges with method and responsibility, while adhering to international standards of performance and sustainability. It reaffirms Morocco’s expertise in renewable energy,” said Tarik Amerziane Moufaddal, CEO of MASEN.
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