Morocco will invest 7 billion euros to add 7 GW of renewable energy by 2030

According to the minister, already since 2021, Morocco has recorded additional renewable capacity of around 1.5 gigawatts, mainly wind and solar, with an investment of 17 billion DH, or 1.5 billion euros. Renewable energy capacity has today reached 5.4 GW, or around 45% of the overall installed capacity, compared to 37% in 2021. “Wind power is positioned in the lead with 2.4 GW, ahead of hydroelectricity which reached 2.1 GW and solar with 0.9 GW,” detailed Tarik HammanDirector General of the National Office of Electricity and Portable Water (ONEE), during a panel on the diversification of the energy mix, which followed the plenary session.

Pour Leila Benalithe government has favored an “investment shock” to succeed in this energy transition which is intended to be fair, inclusive and competitive in the service of the social and economic development of the Kingdom.

In this context, the ministry has granted 2 GW of authorizations since 2021 for the development of renewable energies, a record, according to the minister. “With current projects and those planned, the share of renewable energies will exceed 52% of the electricity mix from 2027 and will reach more than 60% in 2030,” said Tarik Hammane.

The ppublic-private partnership constitutes an essential pillar of this energy transition. Moreover, more than 80% of electricity production in Morocco is generated privately. Among the leading players, there is Nareva which has a production capacity of 3.5 GW for cumulative investments of 6 billion dollars, contributing 40% to the satisfaction of national demand, according to Fair Thursday, general director ofWind energy of Morocco», a subsidiary of Nareva.

Furthermore, the development of infrastructure is one of the priorities of this energy transition. According to the CEO of ONEE, more than 50 billion DH will be invested in the national electricity network, including 50% for the line linking the south and the center. Moreover, the southern provinces of the Kingdom have benefited from major renewable energy projects, which are currently in the operational phase and whose total capacity exceeds 1.3 GW.

Energy storage is also at the center of this strategy. Today, Morocco has two pumped energy transfer stations (STEP) of more than 800 megawatts (MW) in total (Afourer 460 MW and Abdelmoumen – Taroudant 350 MW).

“At least 3 new wastewater treatment plants (STEP) will be developed by 2030 for an overall capacity of almost 1 GW,” indicated Tarik Hammane. Morocco also has a capacity of 500 MW of thermal storage. From now on, the country is banking on batteries. Between projects backed by electricity production and those to be carried out for the network, the energy storage capacity by batteries must reach between 3 to 4 GW by 2030. Furthermore, Morocco plans to use natural gas as a a lever for managing the intermittency of energy, in particular because of its compatibility with the energy transition.

In addition to production and storage, Morocco also focuses on energy efficiency. The country aims to achieve an energy consumption saving of around 20% by 2030. In this context, the Ministry of Energy Transition, in coordination with the stakeholders concerned, launched, in 2022, a initiative aimed at encouraging end consumers to optimize their electricity consumption, in return for a bonus offered by the State as an incentive to save energy. According to Leila Benali, this initiative made it possible to save the equivalent of the consumption of a city like Meknes.

Note that the 9th edition of the X-Morocco Conference brought together nearly 300 people, including former students of the École Polytechnique and Moroccan and foreign experts recognized in the energy field.

Three panels were organized: “Diversification of the energy mix, investments and partnerships”, “Economic growth and energy transition” and “Evolution of the regulatory context and innovation”.