Morocco launches first phase in new Noor II electricity project, attributing lots

Morocco is launching phase one of the mega project Noor PV II solar energy plant, as the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) awarded the lots related to phase 1 of the solar photovoltaic program.

In a joint press release, MASEN and the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development announced the launch, saying that “the energy transition minister had opened a tender for private companies interested in joining the program in September 2021.”

The agency specified that 13 of the 14 projects are already awarded to private companies, spread over 7 sites with a joint capacity of 333 MW, while the multi-site solar energy project has a total capacity of 400 megawatts (MN).

Four bidders have been selected for the project, namely Taqa Morocco in Sidi Bennour (lots 1 to 4) and Kelaa Sraghna (lot 5), Enel Green Power Morocco in Bejaad (lots 6 to 9), AMEA Power in Taroudant (lot 10) and El Hajeb (lot 11) and finally Voltalia Morocco in Guercif (lot 12) and Ain Beni Mathar (lot 13).

The seven selected sites were chosen and qualified on the basis of several criteria, including the suitability of solar PV technology, accessibility, topography, and the impact of the project on the territory and environment.

This project is expected to “strengthen the domestic electrical capacity in line with the economic potential of the concerned areas,” says the statement.

Situated in Ouarzazat, south of the Kingdom, the current complex provides 600 megawatts of electricity annually, cutting down over 760,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Morocco has recently increased its clean energy targets from 45% to 52% by 2030, 70% by 2040 and 80% by 2050, making the country one of the most ambitious future clean economies in the world.

Morocco’s new targets are against a backdrop of significant progress achieved in the expansion of both wind and solar during the initial phase of the energy transition, according to GlobalData.