Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 6:18 p.m.
Rabat – The Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, affirmed, Tuesday in the House of Representatives, that her Department will continue its action in 2025, with a view to accelerating the development of projects relating to renewable energies.
Presenting the ministry’s draft sectoral budget before the Committee on Basic Infrastructure, Energy, Mines and the Environment, Ms. Benali stressed that the process of acceleration and development concerns renewable energy projects at through the exploitation of an additional capacity of approximately 750 megawatts from clean sources, as well as the licensing of additional electricity capacity from renewable sources of approximately 315 megawatts.
It is also a matter of accelerating the implementation of the “Noor Midelt” solar power plant project planned for 2027, as well as other planned projects, including the “photovoltaic solar” project developed by the OCP Group and the “Noor Atlas” photovoltaic solar program, she noted.
The minister, in this sense, focused on electricity production projects, noting that 9,614 megawatts, for a value of 87.9 billion dirhams (MMDH), are planned for the year 2027, as part of a national green equipment plan.
She thus indicated that her Department will support the electricity network for the energy transition, while strengthening the regional integration of electricity networks, through the consolidation of investments in electric transport, capable of achieving optimal integration of renewable energies, connecting the South to the Center via a 3 gigawatt line.
She also highlighted the qualitative experience aimed at encouraging savings in energy consumption, which made it possible to reduce consumption to 40%.
Dwelling on the programs and projects carried out or future in the field of energy efficiency, Ms. Benali focused on the launch of the energy efficiency support program (2022-2026), with the support of international cooperation, for a budget of 200 million dirhams (MDH), targeting the construction, industry and public lighting sectors, as well as the continued implementation of the energy rehabilitation program of mosques, which enabled the rehabilitation of more than 6,000 mosques nationally, thus saving at least 40%.
According to the minister, a measurement, monitoring and verification (MRV) system is also being developed to pursue and monitor energy efficiency at the national level, which will help evaluate energy efficiency programs and projects in all vital sectors of the national economy.
Among these projects, she continued, also include the training of 800 national and African actors in the field of energy efficiency and decarbonization in energy-intensive sectors, as well as the presentation of technical support to numerous public establishments to implement projects aimed at strengthening the energy efficiency of their transport fleet.
Regarding the prospects for hydrocarbon and mineral exploration, Ms. Benali indicated that the 2025 action program as part of the plan (2025-2027) includes four conventional hydrocarbon exploration projects, one exploration project unconventional hydrocarbons, in addition to another project aimed at determining the extension of the Atlantic continental shelf.
Furthermore, the minister placed emphasis on supporting the implementation of projects planned by individuals to achieve additional storage capacities, noting that since the start of the government mandate, the exploitation of new storage capacities exceeded one million cubic meters with an investment of around 2.8 billion dirhams, as well as the completion of the projects planned by individuals by the end of 2024, aiming to increase the storage capacity by 69,000 cubic meters with an investment of approximately 204 MDH.
It revealed, in this sense, that an additional storage capacity of around 470,000 cubic meters will be created during the years 2025-2026, with an investment of around 1.7 billion dirhams.
Concerning the new vision of the development of mining industries, she stressed that the ministry will work to integrate mining policy within the national strategy dedicated to industrial development, increase investments in this area, particularly in research, in addition to the development of a resilient mining sector and the implementation of a strategy reinforcing Morocco’s regional and continental positioning in this area.
As for sustainable development programs, Ms. Benali highlighted integrated waste management and the promotion of the circular economy, mentioning the international cooperation program and the continued strengthening of African cooperation, notably the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project. , the initiative aimed at promoting access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean and the search for new opportunities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation, with a view to supporting the implementation of national programs in the areas of energy transition and sustainable development.
