Casablanca is set to build a $1.5 billion waste-to-energy plant that will convert millions of tons of garbage into electricity, in a project developers say will help address one of Morocco’s largest landfill sites while generating enough power for nearly 1 million people.
According to Reuters, the concession agreement for the project was signed on Monday between the Casablanca city government and a consortium led by Swiss-Japanese waste management company Kanadevia Inova. The consortium also includes Moroccan energy company Nareva and Japan’s Itochu Corporation.
Construction is expected to begin by the end of this year, provided financing is secured by the fourth quarter, with the facility scheduled to become fully operational by mid-2030.
The plant will be built near the Mediouna landfill on the outskirts of Casablanca, Morocco’s largest landfill, which has long been associated with foul odors, pollution affecting nearby farmland, and methane emissions from decomposing waste.
Once completed, the facility is expected to process around 1.5 million metric tons of waste annually and generate approximately 115 megawatts of electricity using a combination of municipal waste, landfill gas, and solar power. According to Kanadevia Inova, that would be enough to supply electricity to nearly 1 million people.
The company said the Casablanca facility will become only the second waste-to-energy plant in Africa, combining waste treatment with electricity generation while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites.
Kanadevia Inova CEO Bruno-Frédéric Baudouin told Reuters that the project will be built by Moroccan construction company Somagec and is expected to take about three and a half years to complete.
However, he noted that waste processing and electricity generation could begin six to 10 months before the project is fully completed.
Baudouin also said the consortium has already secured a power purchase agreement with state-owned utility ONEE, allowing the electricity generated by the plant to be fed into Morocco’s national grid.
The project will be financed by Moroccan banks, with all debt financing expected to come from local lenders.
According to the consortium, the facility could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to roughly 20% of Switzerland’s annual emissions, an environmental impact comparable to removing about 300,000 cars from the road.
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