Equipment: Major projects to be accelerated
Leila Benali is campaigning for the reinforcement of the electricity transmission grid to ensure optimum integration of renewable energies. To keep pace with the accelerating development of renewable energies, Morocco plans to multiply its investment in this area by a factor of 4 or 5 over the next few years.
” For the first time, the private sector will be given the opportunity to invest in this electricity transmission grid ”, said the Minister on Monday before the Thematic Commission on Energy Transition. The strategic project to connect the south to the center of the country, with a capacity of 3 Gigawatts, is not left out. Last August, an addendum was published to the call for expressions of interest for the pre-qualification of candidates for the construction of an extra-high-voltage link between southern and central Morocco. The deadline for submitting proposals is October 15.
During this meeting, in addition to the strategic and institutional frameworks, she presented the programs and projects, addressing the outcomes in terms of electricity production during the current government’s mid-term.. The country now has 1,353 megawatts of new capacity, including 893 megawatts from wind power, 350 megawatts from hydroelectric power and 110 megawatts from solar power. As a result, the Minister noted that overall electrical capacity during this period had risen from 10,627 MW to 11,980 MW, of which 5,304 MW came from energy sources. These represent 44.3% of the electrical capacity created, compared with 37% at the start of the Government’s mandate. During this mid-term period, the Government has authorized 56 projects, compared with 14 during the period between 2011 and 2020. This means a 4-fold increase. Similarly, during the same period, a capacity of 1,991.5 MW was authorized, compared with 1,139 MW previously. The comparison continues with regard to the volume of investment in renewable energy projects, which reached 25.3 billion Dirhams versus 17.5 billion dirhams (USD 1.75 billion) during the previous period, i.e. an increase of 42%.
In the case of green hydrogen, the adoption of the Moroccan Offering implementation process and the resources mobilized by the Government are designed to ensure successful implementation and define the roles of the various stakeholders. The aim is to put in place a framework of incentives and support for project sponsors, to ensure the successful implementation of the Morocco Offering. During the meeting, Leila Benali addressed another issue, which is to initiate the development of regional energy efficiency strategies. The aim is also to begin updating the national energy efficiency strategy for sectors such as industry, transport, agriculture, construction, and lighting.
M.C.
