Moroccan-British Talks on Strengthening Partnership in Energy, Mining and Environment

Minister of Energy, Mining and Environment Aziz Rabbah met, earlier this week, with British Minister of Investment Gerry Grimstone, as part of the strengthening of partnership in the fields of energy, mining and the environment.

During these talks, held last Tuesday by video conference, in the presence of British Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Reilly, Rabbah and Grimstone praised the excellent bilateral relations between Morocco and the United Kingdom and recalled the British investment opportunities in Morocco and the prospects for bilateral cooperation, mainly in the fields of renewable energy, hydrogen, natural gas and research and innovation.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Environment, the two officials highlighted other matters of common interest, such as the opening of the electricity market between Morocco and the United Kingdom by Offshore and Onshore solar links and bilateral cooperation in pyramid form (sectoral cooperation, regional cooperation and cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries).

The talks also highlighted the important role that the UK, as host of the next Conference of the Parties on climate change (COP 26), can play in the transition to clean energy in Morocco, by fostering investments in renewable energy.

The two officials also discussed the Afro-British investment summit, which aims to conclude economic partnerships with African countries, in order to increase British investments in Africa, as well as the role of Morocco, as a regional hub of stability and economic progress, in bolstering the ties between Africa and the United Kingdom after Brexit.

At the end of this meeting, Rabbah and Grimstone agreed to exchange visits after the stabilization of the health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to set up a joint committee to establish a new partnership framework and a roadmap for its implementation.