Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, presented her department’s plan for the upcoming five years to parliament this Monday.
Benali said Morocco is “actively working to implement the objectives of sustainable development and energy strategy while furthering investments in renewable energy.”
According to the minister, the government’s primary objective in this sector is “accelerating the pace of energy transition to achieve energy sovereignty.”
She added that Morocco is also determined to give new impetus to a series of projects and reforms related to energy efficiency in various vital areas in order to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2030.
Highlighting the medium-term milestones throughout the road to energy self-sufficiency, Benali said her ministry is aiming to achieve the objectives of the National Energy Strategy, after having revised upwards its ambition in renewable energy to exceed the current target of 52% of the national electricity mix by 2030.
The official explained that “in order to provide the optimal energy mix, based on reliable and competitive technological options, and to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity system, with the flexibility to which Morocco is committed, several programs have been developed and implemented concerning the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity with a generalization to the rural sector.”
For the past two decades, from 2000 to 2020, exploration works for hydrocarbons were carried out in various sedimentary basins in Morocco, with an approximate MAD 27 billion investment fund.
Morocco is currently exploiting 50 renewable energy projects with a production capacity of about 3950 megawatts, representing 37% of the total electrical capacity and contributing to 20% of the demand for electrical energy.
For the initial 2021-2025 period, additional electrical needs will be developed relying mainly on wind and solar renewable energies, with the programming and development of an additional capacity that exceeds 4 megawatts, or 90% of the additional capacity, and a single natural gas thermal power plant.
Regarding the second phase spanning from 2026 to 2030, Morocco intends to adopt a green plan, 100% based on renewable resources, with the objective of achieving an additional capacity of about 5200 megawatts, as well as programming flexible projects for the production of electricity during this period, in order to cope with the fluctuating nature of renewable resources, including the pumping station and battery energy storage systems.
The minister stressed that this green plan will take into account the challenges and constraints imposed by the energy context on the international level, by offering an integrated and diversified energy mix, in which clean energy occupies an important part.
Benali said that efforts are currently focused at the regional level, to facilitate the transition and streamline investments.
Morocco produced about 98 million cubic meters of natural gas in 2020, but it remains a weak amount.
The Minister indicated that the national production of natural gas will rise to 110 million cubic meters during the current year.
According to the Minister, the national production of this vital substance remains weak compared to the national consumption, which exceeds about 1 billion cubic meters.
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