OCP'S new investment roadmap in 6 key points

The Office Cherifien of Phosphates (OCP) group will implement a new investment program worth 130 billion dirhams for 2023-2027.

The program follows the directives of King Mohammed VI he laid out during a working session he chaired on November 22 on the development of renewable energies in the Kingdom.

The OCP’s initial investment program, which lasted between 2012 and 2021, contributed to raising fertilizer production capacities from 4 tons to 12 tons.

It also supported more than 400 Moroccan industrial enterprises and contributed to the creation of 8,400 direct and indirect jobs, enabling the group to consolidate its position in the fertilizer market and position itself among the world’s largest producers and exporters of phosphate fertilizers.

The 2012-2021 program, which cost 8 billion dollars, equivalent to 80 billion dirhams, served as a catalyst to move the group’s gross revenue from 2.5 billion dirhams in 2005 to 9.4 billion dirhams last year, and to move from the fourth rank in the production of phosphate to the first ranks along with China.

New investment program in key points

The group’s new investment program revolves around increasing the production capacities of fertilizers, and its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2040, by taking advantage of the great potential of renewable energies.

• It is expected that the group’s capabilities in terms of fertilizer production will move from the current 12 million tons, to 20 million tons in 2027. It includes the expansion of mining capabilities, through the opening of a new mine in Mesqala, and the creation of a chemical and mining complex in Mzenda, to treat raw phosphate from Benguerir and Youssoufia mines and the new Mesqala mine.
• Energy is at the heart of the new investment program, as the group wants to provide all its industrial facilities with green energy by 2027, based on wind, solar, hydroelectric and cogeneration energy. Carbon-free energy will also enable the supply of new seawater desalination facilities to meet the group’s needs and provide drinking and irrigation water to the areas adjacent to its operations.
• By investing in renewable energies, OCP Group will reduce its dependence on importing ammonia from abroad, by investing in green hydrogen and entering the market of low-carbon fertilizers and solutions adapted to the needs of different soils and crops.
• The new investment is expected to create 25,000 direct and indirect jobs, support 600 Moroccan industrial enterprises, and achieve a local integration rate of about 70 percent.
• The OCP Group will continue to rely on the research and development capabilities of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) to develop industrial, modern technologies, to exploit expertise in new technologies for rational fertilization, and evaluation of the constituent elements of phosphate ores.

In order to succeed, a number of specialized research centers were established within the university, which were inaugurated by King Mohammed VI in 2017, including a laboratory specialized in renewable energies, a laboratory for materials and energy sciences, and nanoengineering specialized in components of lithium batteries.

• The OCP group will pump 40 million cubic meters of desalinated water to supply the cities of Safi and El Jadida with potable water, before the end of this year.

Based on its achievements in the past years, OCP Group confirms its readiness to implement its new growth strategy that makes sustainable development a real competitive advantage.

The group is engaged as a supporter of the development of agricultural practices in providing fertilizers suitable for special needs and different types of soil and crops.

The OCP is also working on a sustainable fertilization approach in Africa through specialized fertilizers, paving way for a green agricultural revolution in the continent, which will play a fundamental role in global food security.