Morocco Banks on Renewable Energies - French Daily

Morocco is banking on renewable energies and their development to cover its energy needs, reduce its fossil fuel imports and thus reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, French daily “Ouest-France” writes on Wednesday.

“There is oil and gas in the Moroccan subsoil. For the moment, it stays where it is. Since 2009, the Kingdom has relied on the development of renewable energies to reduce its imports of fossil fuels and it is committed to this,” according to the publication.

“By 2030, the country should produce 2,000 MW of solar electricity, 200 MW of wind power, 2,000 W of hydropower. Enough to cover 52% of the country’s energy needs,” says the newspaper, quoting economist and energy specialist, Mohammed Cherki.

After Ouarzazate and the first major solar power plant Noor, at a cost of $ 20 billion with its extensions 2 and 3, the region of Souss-Massa “has taken the train of solar power in 2014,” according to the same source.

With nearly 300 days of sunshine per year, “all the assets were there,” Cherki said, adding that Souss-Massa also has plenty of wind on the coast, around Agadir, and mountains, inland, where dams can be built.

Projects are multiplying to achieve the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030, scheduled by the Regional Council. In Midelt, a hybrid power plant – combining photovoltaic and solar thermal compression – even more ambitious than that of Ouarzazate, will become a reality.

Cited as an example in the 2020 assessment of the Climate Chance Association, the region of Souss-Massa also relies on the new Station of energy transfer by pumping Abdelmoumen dam, observes the newspaper.

The abundance of infrastructure in renewable energy has led to the creation of 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. Solar energy has promoted local engineering. The fabric of SMEs is boosted, Ouest-France concludes.