An Integrated and Proactive Electricity Production Program
20 March 2014
Read by 2181 persons
Estimated total cost: 9 billion dollars. This program aims to install a total capacity of 2,000 MW of solar power connected to the grid. The solar power plants will be spread across 5 sites by 2020. This will save one million tons of oil equivalent and prevent the emission of more than 3.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. The first phase of the integrated solar energy program is the development of the "Noor" solar energy complex (500 MW) located in the rural community of Ghassate-Caïdat Imaghrane, in Ouarzazate. The selected site covers an area of approximately 2,500 ha. The program is developed in several phases. The first phase uses the successful Moroccan concessionary production model (IPP) and will include one or more power plants with a minimum capacity of 125 MW.
The commissioning of this first phase is planned for 2015. This project is part of a larger project presented on November 2, 2009, in Ouarzazate to King Mohammed VI. It provides for electricity production with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) and will be built on a total area of 10,000 hectares. In addition to Ouarzazate, it concerns the cities of Laâyoune, Boujdour, Tarfaya, and Aïn Beni Mathar (to be replaced by another site). Upon completion in 2020, the five power plants should cover approximately 10% of electricity demand and, together with other renewable energy sources, represent 42% of available production capacity.
According to the Department of Energy, the project will prevent the emission of 3.7 million tons of CO2 per year. To manage these projects, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) was created. It is involved in design, studies, operator selection, and project implementation and management monitoring, as well as the guidance and coordination of all related activities. It is a public limited company with a board of directors and a supervisory board, with initial share capital of 500 million dirhams, equally subscribed by the Moroccan state, the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development, ONEE, and the Moroccan Energy Investment Company (SIE).
Masen aims to prove its ability to manage and implement a large-scale technological project. Morocco intends to host two flagship projects of the European Union in the field of solar energy: Transgreen and Desertec.
More than 50% targeted integration in the long term
Beyond electricity production, Masen aims to provide the country with a competitive industrial sector, maximizing the rate of local industrial integration. This integration will be gradual. For Noor I, it is planned that a minimum of 30% of the project's investment amount will be allocated to the acquisition of goods, supplies, works, and services with national added value from Moroccan companies. This represents a market of 300 million dollars for national companies (out of a total project cost of approximately 1 billion dollars).
The ambition is to increase this level with the deployment of the Moroccan solar plan to ever-higher thresholds, for the benefit of local production and job creation. According to Mustapha Bakkoury, this objective will be exceeded with the first project. For future projects, bidders will be required to submit a proposal of measures to achieve the planned industrial integration rate through one or more members of the consortium, alone or in partnership with a third party. Masen's goal is to achieve an integration rate of over 50% in the long term. To this end, the Agency has recently launched its "Mapping of Moroccan Companies for Solar Technologies" program. This project aims to identify companies in various sectors that can be involved in the Moroccan solar project. The Agency also has R&D projects and is working on the development of specialized training programs.
M.B.H.
A replacement site for Aïn Beni Mathar
The Aïn Beni Mathar site is no longer included in the Moroccan solar plan. According to our information, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) has removed it from the list of five projects planned by this plan. Explanation: water resources in this area—located 84 km south of Oujda and covering an area of 3,000 hectares—are insufficient for the operation of the solar project. Masen is currently conducting studies, which are in their final phase, to determine a replacement site of 400 MW, a source close to the file told the newspaper "Le Matin". The Moroccan solar plan, launched in 2009 and managed by Masen, planned the construction of five industrial complexes: Ouarzazate (500 MW), Aïn Beni Mathar (400 MW), Sebkha Tah (500 MW), Foum El Oued (500 MW), and Boujdour (100 MW). According to energy experts, after Ouarzazate, Masen planned to announce, around the end of 2013, the pre-qualification process for the Aïn Beni Mathar solar complex to qualify potential developers of this complex through independent production projects consisting of the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of one or more power plants with a total capacity of approximately 400 MW.
Masen seeks zero risk
All sites identified by the Moroccan solar plan must meet all the necessary criteria to host power plants of different technologies and, above all, comply with the legislative and regulatory provisions of national laws and international conventions to which Morocco adheres. They are therefore subject to qualification work, including all geotechnical, seismic, and topographic studies, environmental impact studies, irradiation measurement, and water resources. According to our source, this change should not affect the initial schedule: a minimum production capacity of 2,000 MW by 2020. Except for Aïn Beni Mathar, all other sites are maintained. Better yet, Masen already has an idea of the site to replace Aïn Beni Mathar.
M.B.H.
An international electricity platform
Morocco currently imports 97% of its energy needs, with oil accounting for 61% of its energy consumption, although this percentage tends to decrease year after year.
The implementation of these projects will reduce Morocco's energy dependence from 97% to 85%, resulting in annual savings of one million tons of oil equivalent (TOE), worth US$500 to 700 million.
By prioritizing solar and wind energy, Morocco has chosen clean and sustainable development, perfectly fitting within the Copenhagen process. In parallel, the Kingdom is developing an ambitious wind power program of 1,500 MW, with an investment of US$1.5 billion.
According to specialized studies, the potential of wind energy in Morocco would amount to 25,000 MW. Thanks to these projects, Morocco will be able to take advantage of its strategic position to assume the role of an "international electricity platform" as a supplier and bridge between Europe and the countries of the southern Mediterranean.
E.M.R.
A legislative framework to support the Moroccan solar energy project
The integrated electricity production project from solar energy, called the "Moroccan Solar Energy Project," prioritizes the development of renewable energies and sustainable development.
For the implementation of this ambitious project, a legislative framework will support this evolution through the adoption of a bill on energy efficiency. This legislative framework involves several ministerial departments and aims to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption by 8% by 2012 and 15% by 2030. According to the president of MASEN, Mustapha Bakkoury, renewable energies—solar, hydraulic, and wind—will equally share the 2,000 megawatts of installed capacity to represent 42% in 2020.
Key Dates
November 2009: Presentation of the Moroccan solar energy project in Ouarzazate.
January 2010: Creation of Masen.
March 30, 2010: Launch of the call for expressions of interest for Ouarzazate.
May 24, 2010: Deadline for the call for expressions of interest.
End of 2010: Launch of the call for tenders to pre-qualified bidders for the development of the first power plant.
2015: Delivery of the first 500 MW power plant.
2020: Production of 2,000 MW.
Source: masen.org.ma.
El Mahjoub Rouane.
Lematin.ma
Published March 17, 2014.
Posted online March 20, 2014.
The commissioning of this first phase is planned for 2015. This project is part of a larger project presented on November 2, 2009, in Ouarzazate to King Mohammed VI. It provides for electricity production with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) and will be built on a total area of 10,000 hectares. In addition to Ouarzazate, it concerns the cities of Laâyoune, Boujdour, Tarfaya, and Aïn Beni Mathar (to be replaced by another site). Upon completion in 2020, the five power plants should cover approximately 10% of electricity demand and, together with other renewable energy sources, represent 42% of available production capacity.
According to the Department of Energy, the project will prevent the emission of 3.7 million tons of CO2 per year. To manage these projects, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) was created. It is involved in design, studies, operator selection, and project implementation and management monitoring, as well as the guidance and coordination of all related activities. It is a public limited company with a board of directors and a supervisory board, with initial share capital of 500 million dirhams, equally subscribed by the Moroccan state, the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development, ONEE, and the Moroccan Energy Investment Company (SIE).
Masen aims to prove its ability to manage and implement a large-scale technological project. Morocco intends to host two flagship projects of the European Union in the field of solar energy: Transgreen and Desertec.
More than 50% targeted integration in the long term
Beyond electricity production, Masen aims to provide the country with a competitive industrial sector, maximizing the rate of local industrial integration. This integration will be gradual. For Noor I, it is planned that a minimum of 30% of the project's investment amount will be allocated to the acquisition of goods, supplies, works, and services with national added value from Moroccan companies. This represents a market of 300 million dollars for national companies (out of a total project cost of approximately 1 billion dollars).
The ambition is to increase this level with the deployment of the Moroccan solar plan to ever-higher thresholds, for the benefit of local production and job creation. According to Mustapha Bakkoury, this objective will be exceeded with the first project. For future projects, bidders will be required to submit a proposal of measures to achieve the planned industrial integration rate through one or more members of the consortium, alone or in partnership with a third party. Masen's goal is to achieve an integration rate of over 50% in the long term. To this end, the Agency has recently launched its "Mapping of Moroccan Companies for Solar Technologies" program. This project aims to identify companies in various sectors that can be involved in the Moroccan solar project. The Agency also has R&D projects and is working on the development of specialized training programs.
M.B.H.
A replacement site for Aïn Beni Mathar
The Aïn Beni Mathar site is no longer included in the Moroccan solar plan. According to our information, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) has removed it from the list of five projects planned by this plan. Explanation: water resources in this area—located 84 km south of Oujda and covering an area of 3,000 hectares—are insufficient for the operation of the solar project. Masen is currently conducting studies, which are in their final phase, to determine a replacement site of 400 MW, a source close to the file told the newspaper "Le Matin". The Moroccan solar plan, launched in 2009 and managed by Masen, planned the construction of five industrial complexes: Ouarzazate (500 MW), Aïn Beni Mathar (400 MW), Sebkha Tah (500 MW), Foum El Oued (500 MW), and Boujdour (100 MW). According to energy experts, after Ouarzazate, Masen planned to announce, around the end of 2013, the pre-qualification process for the Aïn Beni Mathar solar complex to qualify potential developers of this complex through independent production projects consisting of the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of one or more power plants with a total capacity of approximately 400 MW.
Masen seeks zero risk
All sites identified by the Moroccan solar plan must meet all the necessary criteria to host power plants of different technologies and, above all, comply with the legislative and regulatory provisions of national laws and international conventions to which Morocco adheres. They are therefore subject to qualification work, including all geotechnical, seismic, and topographic studies, environmental impact studies, irradiation measurement, and water resources. According to our source, this change should not affect the initial schedule: a minimum production capacity of 2,000 MW by 2020. Except for Aïn Beni Mathar, all other sites are maintained. Better yet, Masen already has an idea of the site to replace Aïn Beni Mathar.
M.B.H.
An international electricity platform
Morocco currently imports 97% of its energy needs, with oil accounting for 61% of its energy consumption, although this percentage tends to decrease year after year.
The implementation of these projects will reduce Morocco's energy dependence from 97% to 85%, resulting in annual savings of one million tons of oil equivalent (TOE), worth US$500 to 700 million.
By prioritizing solar and wind energy, Morocco has chosen clean and sustainable development, perfectly fitting within the Copenhagen process. In parallel, the Kingdom is developing an ambitious wind power program of 1,500 MW, with an investment of US$1.5 billion.
According to specialized studies, the potential of wind energy in Morocco would amount to 25,000 MW. Thanks to these projects, Morocco will be able to take advantage of its strategic position to assume the role of an "international electricity platform" as a supplier and bridge between Europe and the countries of the southern Mediterranean.
E.M.R.
A legislative framework to support the Moroccan solar energy project
The integrated electricity production project from solar energy, called the "Moroccan Solar Energy Project," prioritizes the development of renewable energies and sustainable development.
For the implementation of this ambitious project, a legislative framework will support this evolution through the adoption of a bill on energy efficiency. This legislative framework involves several ministerial departments and aims to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption by 8% by 2012 and 15% by 2030. According to the president of MASEN, Mustapha Bakkoury, renewable energies—solar, hydraulic, and wind—will equally share the 2,000 megawatts of installed capacity to represent 42% in 2020.
Key Dates
November 2009: Presentation of the Moroccan solar energy project in Ouarzazate.
January 2010: Creation of Masen.
March 30, 2010: Launch of the call for expressions of interest for Ouarzazate.
May 24, 2010: Deadline for the call for expressions of interest.
End of 2010: Launch of the call for tenders to pre-qualified bidders for the development of the first power plant.
2015: Delivery of the first 500 MW power plant.
2020: Production of 2,000 MW.
Source: masen.org.ma.
El Mahjoub Rouane.
Lematin.ma
Published March 17, 2014.
Posted online March 20, 2014.
