Green hydrogen: The promise of Morocco’s offering
Long-awaited by investors, project developers, industrialists, equipment manufacturers, and the entire ecosystem, the circular for the implementation of Morocco’s green hydrogen offering has finally been unveiled. The aim is to position the Kingdom as a competitive player in an emerging high-potential sector.
And, above all, to confirm « its international positioning in order to play a leading role in the global energy transition and in the reconfiguration of energy flows «. Backed by this circular, this emerging sector will represent a turning point for the Moroccan economy, in the face of economic, social, environmental, and technological challenges in a world undergoing rapid change and accelerating the energy transition. It is worth noting that Morocco has a number of major assets to offer, including wind power, solar energy, infrastructure, ports, desalination plants, land, a proven legal and regulatory framework, as well as incentives. The circular highlights the Kingdom’s strengths, enabling it to seize a new generation of opportunities and better «respond to the projects of global investors in this promising sector». At this stage, nearly a hundred national and foreign investors have already expressed their keen interest in the « Moroccan offering «. The circular paves the way for investors across the entire value chain. This extremely important document provides the visibility and answers essential to the success and development of the industry. The aim of the circular is « to put in place clear, operational and incentive-based procedures, as well as a framework for the convergence of the actions of the various public entities involved in the entire value chain», explains Wacef Bentaibi, partner at Gide Loyrette Nouel and energy expert.
The value of the circular also lies in the establishment of an incentive framework and support measures for investors.
Land is a crucial issue, as the development of the sector remains dependent on the availability of attractive land for major projects. On this extremely important subject, the Government has identified a significant amount of public land, with a total surface area of 1 million hectares, as well as making 300,000 hectares available in lots of between 10,000 and 30,000 hectares (depending on the size of the planned projects) to entrepreneurs, during the first phase. When allocating land to investors, the Government will ensure, within a contractual framework, that it is used properly.
Amin RBOUB
