The work of the 9th edition of the X-Maroc Conference opened this Tuesday in Casablanca, under the theme: “Energy future of Morocco, challenges and opportunities”. The event brought together nearly 300 people, including former students of the École Polytechnique and Moroccan and foreign experts recognized in the energy field. The objective of the Conference is to contribute to the national debate on the issues linked to energy sovereignty and to fuel reflection by positioning itself as a force for proposals.
The opening of this conference was marked by the participation of Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. In her speech, she stressed that the energy sector has been experiencing a real inflection point since 2021, and will have to be marked by an investment shock, particularly in terms of renewable energies.
“We have added 1.5 GW in capacity from renewable energies, mainly from solar and wind, requiring 17 billion dirhams of investments. This allowed us to achieve a 44% share of installed capacity from renewable energies, compared to 37% in 2021. Likewise, we have granted 2 GW of authorizations since 2021, a record for renewable energies. announced the minister.
Benali appealed to the audience for greater mobilization, with the aim of consolidating this investment shock. “By 2030, it will be necessary to accelerate investments in renewable energies in order to increase the capacity of 7 GW from renewables, requiring 7 billion euros of investments. The objective is to triple annual investments in this segment, while multiplying investments in electricity networks by 5,” she said.
For his part, Mohammed Tawfik Mouline, director general of the Royal Institute of Strategic Studies, presented the main results of his study on green hydrogen in Morocco, highlighting the assets that Morocco has and which would place it in the club of countries with high potential in this sector of the future. The manager did not fail to take up the challenges that will nevertheless have to be overcome, particularly in terms of financing, development of infrastructure and technology, as well as the training of qualified labor.
The plenary session was also marked by the intervention of Jamal Eddine M’Hamdi, president of the X-Maroc group who highlighted the enormous achievements in the field of energy transition, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI . “This conference is part of the enlightened vision of the Sovereign and Morocco’s commitments in the fight against climate change. Through this conference, we aim to fuel the national debate on the Kingdom’s energy issues and to provide innovative and pragmatic solutions with a view to succeeding in our energy transition,” he declared. The manager also indicated that this conference will result in a white paper which will compile all the initiatives and recommendations formulated during this meeting.
Please note that three panels are planned as part of this conference. The first has the theme “Diversification of the energy mix, investments and partnerships”. It addresses energy producers to discuss strategies to support the Kingdom’s economic growth.
The theme chosen for the second panel is “Economic growth and energy transition”. He is interested in the challenges and opportunities for energy-consuming companies, as well as the constraints encountered by Moroccan exporters.
The last panel has the theme “Evolution of the regulatory context and innovation”. This involves experts from public administrations, ministries and researchers sharing their vision on the evolution of energy regulations on a global scale and its impacts on Morocco. It is also about discussing future trends in the field of energy and the types of innovations that can be implemented to accelerate the energy transition in Morocco.
