The commissioning of the Jbel Lahdid wind farm, in the province of Essaouira, increased the share of renewables in the national electricity production capacity to 45%. The clean energy potential in Morocco now reaches 5,440 MW, including 2,400 MW of wind origin.
Located along the Essaouira-Safi road, the park is installed on three ridges and equipped with 54 turbines of 5 MW each, several components of which were manufactured in Morocco, according to explanations provided by ONEE, which announced , Friday October 11, the entry into office of this unit.
The park will have to produce around 952 GWh per year, or the electricity consumption of a city of 1.2 million inhabitants, such as Marrakech, Fez or even Tangier. That is to say a reduction in CO2 emissions of 580,000 tonnes per year.
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“Thanks to the commissioning of the Jbel Lahdid wind farm, we mark a new stage in our commitment to strengthening the Kingdom’s energy independence and supporting the fight against climate change,” assures Tarik Hamane, Director General of ONEE .
Morocco “continues to move forward at high speed towards achieving the ambitious objective of 52% renewable energies in the energy mix, well before 2030,” he maintained.
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The Jbel Lahdid wind farm has enabled the opening of several road accesses with a length of 74 km connecting more than 14 rural communities as well as the creation of more than 500 direct jobs, thus contributing to the socio-economic development of the region, indicates ONEE in a press release.
Developed as part of a public-private partnership with the companies Nareva Holding and Enel Green Power, this project required a total investment of approximately 3.25 billion dirhams, including concessional financing mobilized by ONEE from institutions International (KfW and EIB) and the European Union.
