Analysis of Morocco's renewable energy production and transmission potential

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2024 Volume 6 Numbe 2 (June)
h p://doi.o g/10.9770/IRD.2024.6.2(4)
Publishe
Sus ainabili y o Regions
64
ANALYSIS OF MOROCCO'S RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION AND TRANSMISSION
POTENTIAL
*
Vaida Zemlickienė ¹*, Boumediene Am aoui ², Najiba El Am ani El Id issi 3
1 The Ins i u e o Sus ainable Cons uc ion, Facul y o Ci il Enginee ing, Vilnius Gediminas Technical Uni e si y, Saulė ekio
a . 11, 10223 Vilnius, Li huania
2,3 Facul y o Science and Technology, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Uni e si y,
Rou e d'Imouzze 30000 Fez, Mo occo
E-mails: 1* aida.zemlickiene@ ilnius ech.l (Co espondin au ho ); 2boumediene.am [email protected];
3najiba.elam [email protected]
Recei ed 11 Ma ch 2024; accep ed 20 May 2024; published
Abs ac . Alongside e o s o educe ca bon emissions, ene gy p oduc ion and use ook on new u gency las yea , when Eu ope and o he
coun ies aced ha sh eali ies ega ding elec ici y a ailabili y and a o dabili y; he e o e, solu ions a e needed o a oid he consequences
o he exis ing gas monopoly because elec ici y p ices a e di ec ly co ela ed wi h gas p ices. One possible al e na i e o sol ing his
p oblem is o pu chase sus ainable elec ici y om coun ies wi h high po en ial o p oduce and sell elec ici y om enewable sou ces,
such as Mo occo. A de ailed examina ion o he cu en si ua ion and he men ioned po en ial abo e is equi ed o ind new solu ions ha
can ha e signi ican poli ical consequences. Publicly a ailable seconda y in o ma ion and scien i ic li e a u e we e in es iga ed o e lec
he cu en si ua ion; s a is ical in o ma ion was collec ed and analyzed o ind ou he cases o ene gy ans e om Mo occo o o he
coun ies; expe in es iga ion was ca ied ou o iden i y he speci ics o p oblems ela ed o enewable ene gy p oduc ion and
ansmission o Eu ope. Ac ual cases o elec ici y ansmission ha e been o a e cu en ly happening only be ween neighbou ing coun ies
Spain and Alge ia. The elec ici y ansmission wi h Alge ia is in e up ed due o poli ical disag eemen s. Th ee u u e elec ici y
ansmission connec ions a e planned: a subs an ial long-dis ance p ojec - "Xlinks" wi h he UK; second, wi h Po ugal, and discussions
a e unde way ega ding Mau i ania. Mo occo can become an essen ial ac o by expo ing elec ici y o Eu ope, conside ing i s p oximi y o
Spain and huge po en ial o sola and wind ene gy ha can ul il he needs o all o Eu ope. Howe e , i is essen ial o pay a en ion; no
only Eu ope bu A ican coun ies a e on he lis o hose who wan o pu chase Mo occan elec ici y.
Keywo ds: elec ici y; enewable ene gy; analysis o oppo uni ies; speci ics o p oduc ion and ansmission; Mo occo
Re e ence o his pape should be made as ollows: Zemlickienė, V., Am aoui, B., El Am ani El Id issi, N. 2024. Analysis o Mo occo's
enewable ene gy p oduc ion and ansmission po en ial. Insigh s In o Regional De elopmen , 6(2), 64-78.
h p://doi.o g/10.9770/IRD.2024.6.2(4)
JEL Classi ica ions: D78, D81, F13
Addi ional disciplines: ecology and en i onmen ; elec ici y elec onic enginee ing; en i onmen al enginee ing; ene ge ics and he mo
ene ge ics.
*
P ojec 101129820 Clus e o inno a i e ene gy (CLUSTER-INN), he p og am "HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01"
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1. In oduc ion
Elec ici y a o dabili y has aken on new ele ance in he pas yea as Eu opean coun ies and elsewhe e ha e
aced he ha sh eali y o add essing ene gy a ailabili y and a o dabili y issues. The e is an u gen and mo e
e icien ansi ion o enewable sou ces. One possible al e na i e o sol ing his p oblem is o pu chase
sus ainable elec ici y om coun ies wi h high po en ial o p oduce and sell elec ici y om enewable sou ces,
such as Mo occo. One o he signi ican s eps in making s a egic decisions is collec ing necessa y, eliable
in o ma ion o e i y he imagined po en ial o p oduce and supply elec ici y o Eu opean coun ies.
An in e disciplina y/mul idisciplina y app oach may lead o no el solu ions wi h signi ican policy implica ions.
In he con ex o he wa , inno a i e solu ions s emming om he in e -sec o al coope a ion o geog aphically
emo ed pa ne s can become esilience d i e s. Many au ho s (Kousksou e al., 2015; Šimely ė e al., 2016;
Ox o d Analy ica, 2021; Je ome e al., 2019; Kas i e al., 2023; Cha oui & Lehne , 2024; Hajou e al., 2024;
Leona d e al, 2024) ha e explo ed Mo occo's enewable ene gy po en ial om a ious pe spec i es. Howe e ,
his a icle assesses Mo occo's cu en ene gy si ua ion h ough an in-dep h analysis o key enewable ene gy
p ojec s comple ed and unde de elopmen in Mo occo. I also ocuses on planned, exis ing and pas in e na ional
elec ici y ansmission cases o p edic p ospec s. Fo he same pu pose, an expe s udy was conduc ed o
de e mine he easons limi ing he de elopmen o such in e na ional p ojec s.
To ind ou he cu en si ua ion o enewable ene gy p oduc ion, use and ade in Mo occo:
- o in es iga e publicly a ailable seconda y in o ma ion and scien i ic li e a u e o e lec he cu en
si ua ion on he p oduc ion o elec ici y om enewable sou ces;
- o analyze he la es s a is ical in o ma ion p o ided by he Mo occan Agency o Ene gy E iciency o ind
ou he cases o ene gy ans e om Mo occo o o he coun ies;
- o p esen he esul s o he expe in es iga ion conduc ed o iden i y he speci ics o p oblems ela ed o
enewable ene gy p oduc ion and ansmission.
2. Cu en si ua ion and plans o enewable elec ici y gene a ion in Mo occo
Mo occo s ill aces undamen al challenges – i s geog aphical posi ion in a wa ming ho spo makes i ulne able
o he impac s o clima e change. Mo eo e , e en as i seeks o end i s dependence on ossil uels, i s ene gy
demands a e ising as . While Mo occo's emissions a e small compa ed wi h hose o many mo e de eloped
na ions, bu ning ossil uels o ene gy and cemen p oduc ion is s ill a signi ican sou ce o emissions in he
coun y. Mo occo s ill impo s mos o i s ene gy o mee i s ising ene gy consump ion, which inc eased a an
a e age annual a e o 6.5% be ween 2002 and 2015 (Alami, 2021). Acco ding o 2015 da a, Mo occo gene a ed
98% o i s elec ici y by bu ning ossil uels and impo ing he missing elec ici y om Spain (Alami, 2021).
Mo occo elies pa icula ly hea ily on coal powe , which i is expanding along wi h enewables, and now, a ound
40% o elec ici y in he coun y comes om coal (Alami, 2021).
Howe e , he Mo occan au ho i ies decided o be “a des ina ion o enewable ene gy”. Mo occo has used i s
geog aphical posi ion and en i onmen o gain an edge in enewables, especially sola ene gy (Mensou e al.,
2019). Mo occo's na ional ac ion on clima e change da es back o he mid-2000s when he coun y decided o
become a egional leade in clean ene gy and o push o wa d massi e enewables p ojec s. In 2009, Mo occo se
ou an ambi ious ene gy plan o make 42% o o al ins alled powe capaci y enewable by 2020. Ul ima ely,
Mo occo missed i s 2020 a ge , wi h enough enewable capaci y o p oduce 37% o i s ene gy 2020. By 2023,
Mo occo will each he 42% a ge se o 2020, a delay caused by he pandemic (Fe nández, 2023). I has a o al
ins alled gene a ing capaci y o abou 11 000 MW and 4 030 MW o enewables. An addi ional 4 516 MW o
enewables is unde cons uc ion o planned (King, 2022; MASEN, n.d.).
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Mo occo has since pledged o inc ease he enewables in i s elec ici y mix o 52% by 2030, comp ising 20%
sola , 20% wind, and 12% hyd o. The Kingdom expec s ha by 2030, i will mo e han mee i s a ge s, exceeding
64% g een p oduc ion o i s o al ene gy. The Minis e o Ene gy T ansi ion and Sus ainable De elopmen , Leila
Benali, announced he announcemen du ing an appea ance a a plena y session o he House o Rep esen a i es
o he Mo occan Pa liamen . The minis e explained ha he e a e cu en ly 61 p ojec s unde way wi h a o al
in es men o a ound 550 million dolla s (Fe nández, 2023).
Acco ding o P o esso Mohammed Bennouna, in e iewed by Hesp ess FR, he coun y's de elopmen and,
he e o e, all ene gy- ela ed p ojec s we e de eloped acco ding o 2008 s udies, which indica ed ha he Kingdom
would need a capaci y o 24,000 GW o each he 52% a ge . Howe e , ecen s udies ha e shown ha only
16,000 GW will be equi ed by 2030, so he a ge is no close ; his si ua ion will allow Mo occo o be mo e
ambi ious in i s ques o less dependence on hyd oca bons such as oil and coal.
Acco ding o some sou ces, Mo occo seeks o gene a e 80% o i s elec ici y om enewable ene gy esou ces by
2050 (Anoua , 2022; King, 2022). The minis e explained ha he e a e cu en ly 61 p ojec s unde way wi h a
o al in es men o a ound 550 million dolla s (Fe nández, 2023).
The go e nmen has achie ed almos comple e access o elec ici y o i s u al popula ion and is de eloping he
coun y's signi ican enewable ene gy esou ces. Howe e , p og ess in educing he ene gy in ensi y o
Mo occo's economy is mo e challenging o achie e. While he sha e o enewables in elec ici y is p og essing
as , i s sha e in o al inal consump ion dec eased conside ably o e he pas decade, gi en he expanding ene gy
demand. Mo occo has only enewable ene gy a ge s o elec ici y. The go e nmen is encou aged o se a ge s
o mode n enewables in esiden ial and anspo ; his will s ongly p omo e educing ossil uel use ac oss he
economy. As Mo occo con inues o ely on coal, oil, and gas impo s o mos o i s ene gy needs, oppo uni ies
abound o educe impo s by de eloping domes ic ene gy esou ces o educe oil and coal use (IEA, 2023a).
Ini ia ed in 2009, he Mo occan Sola Plan is e y ambi ious. Many sola powe plan s ha e been planned and
scheduled o be ins alled o implemen his plan. The Mo occan Agency o Sola Ene gy (MASEN) was se up o
execu e hese p ojec s in 2010. I s mission is o implemen all p ojec s ela ed o he Na ional Ene gy S a egy and
o coo dina e and supe ise all o he ac i i ies connec ed wi h his ini ia i e (Boulakhba e al., 2020). This
o ganiza ion, he cen al playe in his na ional s a egy, is in cha ge, alongside he Na ional O ice o Elec ici y
and Po able Wa e (ONEE), o implemen ing he Royal ision o enewable ene gy.
ONEE is cu en ly he majo playe in Mo occo's elec ici y ma ke ; i is he sole pu chase esponsible o powe
impo s and expo s and pu chasing elec ici y gene a ed by independen powe p oduce s (IPPs), su plus
elec ici y om sel -gene a o s and all enewable elec ici y p oduc ion om MASEN p ojec s. ONEE holds
long e m powe pu chase ag eemen s (PPAs) wi h hese en i ies. ONEE also owns gene a ion plan s, including
coal, gas and wind (which will be ans e ed o MASEN by 2021). ONEE's own gene a ion ma ke sha e has
dec eased wi h he g ow h o enewable ene gy p ojec s de eloped by MASEN. O he wise, unde Law 38-16,
ONEE has o ans e all enewable ene gy gene a ion asse s wi hin i e yea s o MASEN (excep pump s o age
hyd o plan s, plan s c i ical o he na ional elec ici y supply secu i y and plan s unde Law 13-09). In e ms o
ma ke sha es in 2016, ONEE supplied powe o he na ional ma ke om i s own plan s (29.2%) and h ough
independen powe p oduce s (52.9%) and impo s (14.6%), wi h powe om p i a e indus ial p oduce s
accoun ing o he emainde (3.3%).
Masen gene a es clean elec ici y h ough in eg a ed enewable ene gy p ojec s o make he bes possible use o
sola , wind and hyd aulics ele an o he coun y. The dis ibu ion o sola powe gene a ion p ojec s in Mo occo
can be di ided in o ou zones: Noo Midel , Noo Qua zaza e, Noo Laayoune, and Noo Boujdou . The a e age
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inciden sola adia ion a ies be ween 4.7 and 5.6 kWh/m2/day wi h a numbe o hou s o sunshine ha a ies
om 2700 hou s/yea in he No h o Mo occo o mo e han 3500 hou s/yea in he Sou h. All p ojec s known o
he au ho s a e p esen ed in 1-3 Tables.
Table 1. Sola ene gy p ojec s, including p i a e p ojec s and p ojec s unde s udy
Sola Ene gy P ojec Name/Loca ion
Ins alled
Powe :
MW
Su ace
A ea: Ha
Commi
-ssioned
Technology Used
AIN BENI MATHAR - Ain Beni Ma ha
450-470
160
2010
CSP Wi h Combined Cycle/
In eg a ed Sola Combined Cycle
NOOR
Ta ilal
ERFOUD - E oud
120
40
-
2019
PV
ZAGORA - Zago a
40
-
2019
PV
MISSOUR – Missou
40
-
2019
PV
NOOR MIDELT I - Midel
800
939
2022
CSP+PV
NOOR OUARZAZATE I, Oua zaza e
160
480
2016
CSP, wi h a he mal s o age o
abou 3 h
NOOR OUARZAZATE II, Oua zaza e D âa-Ta ilale
200
610
2018
D y cooling CSP, wi h a he mal
s o age capaci y o mo e han 7 h
NOOR OUARZAZATE III, Oua zaza e
150
582
2018
D y cooling CSP, wi h a he mal
s o age capaci y o mo e han 7 h
NOOR OUARZAZATE IV, Oua zaza e
72
137
2018
Polyc ys allin PV wi h acking
sys em
Noo A las
(260MW)
Ain Beni Ma ha
42
-
-
PV
BOUDNIB - E achidia
36
-
-
PV
NOOR BOUANANE - Boua a a
30
-
-
PV
NOOR ENJIL - Boulmane
42
-
-
PV
Ou a El-Haj
36
-
-
PV
NOOR TATA - Ta a
36
-
-
PV
NOOR TANTAN – Tan-Tan
36
-
-
PV
NOOR LAAYOUNE I - Laâyoune
85
240
2018
Polyc ys allin PV wi h acking
sys em
NOOR BOUJDOUR I - Boujdou
20
60
2018
Polyc ys allin PV wi h acking
sys em
Noo PV II (400 MW)
NOOR BOUJDOUR II - Boujdou
-
1690
-
PV
NOOR LAAYOUN II - Laâyoune
-
1330
-
PV
AIN BENI MATHAR - Ain Beni Ma ha
184
-
-
PV
Sidi Bennou
48
-
2023
PV
BEJAAD – Bajaad
48
400
-
PV
TAROUDANT - Ta oudan
36
393
-
PV
OUTAT EL HAJ - Ou a El Haj
36
-
-
PV
GUERCIF - Gue ci
-
400
-
PV
KELÂA DES SRAGHNA - Kelâa Des
S aghna
48
473
-
PV
NOOR EL HAJEB – EL Hajeb
36
212
2024
PV
NOOR LAKHTATBA - Lakh a ba
-
300
-
PV
Noo Midel Sola PV Pa k 1
210
-
2024
PV
Sou ce: (Powe Technology, n.d.; MASEN, n.d.)
Two echnologies a e used o p oduce sola ene gy:
- CSP (Concen a ed Sola Powe ) echnology cap u es he sun’s ays using la and cu ed mi o s and
hen concen a es hem on a ecei e ha con ains hea ans e luid. This echnology p o ides a good s o age
capaci y, which helps mee he speci ic needs o he Mo occan g id.
- PV (pho o ol ic) echnology gene a es elec ici y di ec ly om sola ays cap u ed by semiconduc o
cells. This echnology's ma u i y in a apidly g owing ma ke makes i a e y compe i i e solu ion o Mo occo.
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Wind ene gy is cu en ly conside ed one o he mos c i ical ene gy sou ces among he o he enewable sou ces;
i 's as es g owing, comme cially a ac i e sou ce and is commonly used o gene a e elec ical ene gy because o
he ma u e and cos -e ec i e ene gy con e sa ion sys em echnology (El Khchine e al., 2019). The Mo occan
go e nmen has a s a egy o de eloping enewable ene gies and ene gy e iciency. Acco ding o i s ene gy
s a egy, he Mo occan go e nmen suppo s he de elopmen o enewable ene gies and hei ene gy e iciency.
Acco ding o s a is ics, Mo occo's ene gy demand is apidly inc easing due o economic and demog aphic g ow h
and is expec ed o iple by 2030.
Mo occo has good clima ic and geog aphic condi ions o ins alling wind u bines, wi h 17 egions selec ed o
hei use in wind powe gene a ion. Mo occo has 3500 km o coas line, which means wind speeds can each up o
10 m/s. The e o e, he es ima ed o al heo e ical po en ial o wind powe in Mo occo is 25 GW. Table 2 shows
he Mo occan wind ene gy gene a ion p ojec s known o he au ho s.
Table 2. Wind ene gy p ojec s, including p i a e p ojec s and p ojec s unde s udy
Wind ene gy p oje s
Ins alled
Powe : MW
Su ace
a ea: ha
Commi
-ssioned
Technology used
HAOUMA wind a m
50.6
-
2013
22 wind u bines. This p ojec
alls wi hin he amewo k o
Law 13-09
TANGER I wind a m - Béni Mejmel
140
500
2011
165 wind u bines
TANGER II wind a m - Dha Sadane Fa m (PEI
850 MW)
70
563
Planned 2024
39 wind u bines
Jbel KHELLADI wind a m - Ksa Sghi
120
-
2018
40 wind u bines, his p ojec
alls wi hin he amewo k o
Law 13-09
AL KOUDIA AL BAIDA (Abdelkhalek To ès
Fa m) I
53.9 – 120
by 2020
270
Phase 1:
2000 - 2001
84 ~ wind u bines
230
AL KOUDIA AL BAIDA (Abdelkhalek To ès
Fa m) II
Repowe ing
120-200
-
Phase 2:
2022 – 2024,
unde
cons uc ion
5 ~ wind u bines
LAFARGE wind a m - Té ouan
32
-
2010
This au op oduc ion p ojec
alls wi hin he amewo k o
Law 54-14
TAZA wind a m – IPE Phase I (150 MW) - Taza
150
800
2022 – 2025,
unde
cons uc ion
45 wind u bines
MIDELT - IPE (850 MW) - Midel
180 - 210 -
850
2230
2020
48 wind u bines
AMOGDOUL ESSAOUIRA wind a m - 15 Km
Sou h ESSAOUIRA
60
1600
2007
71 wind u bines
JBEL LAHDID wind a m- IPE (850 MW) -
Essaoui a
200 - 270
2404
2021 – 2023,
unde
cons uc ion
61 wind u bines
AKHFENNIR wind a m - TARFAYA p o ince
Laayoune
101,87 MW
-
2014
61 wind u bines
AKHFENNIR II wind a m - AKHFENIR
(ex ension)
101.87 MW
-
2016
61 wind u bines
AKHFENNIR III wind a m - Laayoune Sakia El
Ham a
50 MW
-
Planned 2023,
unde
cons uc ion
-
TARFAYA wind a m - 15 km Sou h Ta aya
301
8900
2014
131 wind u bines
CIMAR - Laâyoune
5
-
2012
This au op oduc ion p ojec
alls wi hin he amewo k o
Law 54-14

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Wind ene gy p oje s
Ins alled
Powe : MW
Su ace
a ea: ha
Commi
-ssioned
Technology used
FOUM EL OUED - Laâyoune
50
-
2013
22 wind u bines. This p ojec
alls wi hin he amewo k o
Law 13-09
Wind Fa m AFTISSAT I - Boujdou
200
-
2018
56 Siemens u bines, his
p ojec alls wi hin he
amewo k o Law 13-09
Wind Fa m AFTISSAT II - Laayoune - Sakia El
Ham a
200
-
2022
67 u bines GE Ene gy
Boujdou - IPE (850 MW) - Boujdou
300 – 850
12485
2021
30 wind u bines
The Xlinks, Guelmim-Oued Noun
3500
-
2028
I will be powe ed by wind
and sola
DAKHLA Wind Fa m – (Dakhla Wind Fa m-IB
900
-
2027
-
DAKHLA Wind Fa m (Dakhla Wind Fa m-II)
DAKHLA Wind Fa m (Dakhla Wind Fa m-III)
BIRANZARANE wind a m - 70 km no h o
DAKHLA
200
-
Planed 2024,
unde
cons uc ion
-
TISKRAD wind a m (850 MW) - Laayoune
100
2618
Unde
cons uc ion,
expec ed in
2024
93 wind u bines
GHRAD JRAD wind a m – Laayoune -Sakia El
Ham a
80
-
Unde
cons uc ion,
expec ed in
2024
-
CAP CANTIN wind a m – MARRAKECH -
SAFI
108
-
Unde
cons uc ion,
planned 2024.
-
AM WIND wind a m - DAKHLA
100
-
Unde
cons uc ion,
planed 2023
-
FERKAT wind a m - Region de GUELMIM
80
-
Unde
cons uc ion,
planed 2023
-
OUALIDIA I wind a m
18
-
2021
-
FOUM EL OUED wind a m
50,6
-
2013
22 wind u bines
IPE - In eg a ed Wind P ojec Sou ce: (Powe Technology, n.d.; MASEN, n.d.; The Wind Powe , n.d.)
The Mo occan go e nmen has p io i ized he g ow h o he enewable ene gy sec o by enhancing he egula o y
amewo k. The Minis y o Ene gy T ansi ion and Sus ainable De elopmen has ecen ly amended Law 13-09 on
Renewable Ene gy, Law 82-21 on sel -p oduc ion o elec ical ene gy, as well as Law 48-15 on he egula ion o
he elec ici y sec o and he c ea ion o he ANRE (Na ional Agency o Elec ici y Regula ion). These
amendmen s aim o imp o e he legisla i e and egula o y amewo k go e ning enewable ene gy p ojec s by he
p i a e sec o while gua an eeing he secu i y and iabili y o he na ional elec ici y sys em (In e na ional T ade
Adminis a ion, 2024).
Wi h an ins alled capaci y o abou 1770 MW, hyd opowe plays a key ole in Mo occo's ene gy mix, con ibu ing
22% o i s powe gene a ion. Mo occo has long op ed o he de elopmen o elec ic powe dams. Indeed, King
Hassan II had called o a new dam o be buil e e y yea . Today, Mo occo is home o 26 hyd opowe s a ions,
o alling 1360 MW in capaci y, including Al Wahda, he second-la ges dam in A ica. A 460-MW pumped-
s o age acili y in A ou e nea Beni-Mellal complemen s Mo occo's hyd opowe sys em. As pa o Mo occo's
new ene gy de elopmen oadmap in 2008, au ho i ies we e looking o add 580 MW in hyd opowe capaci y by
2020 h ough se e al enginee ing, p ocu emen , and cons uc ion de elopmen p ojec s. The lagship p ojec is
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de eloping a 350 MW pumped-s o age powe plan in Abdelmoumen, commissioned in 2020. The second majo
p ojec is he de elopmen o a 170-MW dam in Mdez-El Menzel. Simul aneously, au ho i ies ha e been looking
o bols e p i a e in es men s o de elop new g een ield small o medium-scale hyd opowe plan s unde he
scope o he enewable ene gy law. ONEE iden i ied 200 si es ha could con ibu e o isola ed a eas' ene gy
needs. To acili a e he implemen a ion o hese hyd opowe p ojec s, au ho i ies amended Law No. 13-09 in
Sep embe 2015 by li ing he legal cap on p i a e-d i en dam de elopmen om 12 MW o 30 MW. As a esul ,
in 2015, Mo occan company Pla inum Powe – whose e e ence sha eholde is US p i a e equi y und
B ookes one Pa ne s – was awa ded IPP licenses o i e hyd oelec ic p ojec s, o alling a p ojec ed combined
capaci y o 120 MW. The company launched ende s o cons uc he powe s a ions, he cos o which has been
es ima ed a $318m (€286m). Simila ly, F ench enewable company Vol alia signed i s i s deal in 2015,
consis ing o he cons uc ion o se e al hyd opowe plan s o a cumula ed capaci y o 40 MW. In 2015, ONEE
launched a ende ing p ocedu e o he ehabili a ion o 12 small and medium-sized hyd opowe plan s (Ox o d
business g oup, 2016).
Table 3. Hyd oene gy p ojec s, including p i a e p ojec s and p ojec s unde s udy
Hyd o ene gy p ojec s
Ins alled
powe : MW
Su ace
a ea: ha
Commi
-ssioned
Technology
used:
MOHAMMED V - Nado
23
0.15
1967
1 u bine
BOUAREG - Be kane
6.4
-
1969
1 u bine
ALLAL EL FASSI - Taouna e
240
2.1
1994
3 u bines
IDRISSI I - Taouna e
41
0.45
1973
2 u bines
AL WAHDA - Ouezzane
240
0.32
1998
3 u bines
TAZA - Taza
0.6
-
1929
2 u bines
LAU -TALAMBOT - Che chaouen
14.1
-
1942
4 u bines
STEP IFAHSA - Che chaouen
300
-
2026
-
TAURART - Che chaouen
2
-
1951
2 u bines
FEZ - Fez
3.1
-
1934
5 u bines
EL MENZEL - Sé ou
95
-
-
-
SEFROU - Sé ou
0.6
-
1994
-
STEP EL MENZEL II - Sé ou
300
-
2026
-
IMEZDILFANE/TASKDERT/TAJEMOUT - Khéni a
128
-
2025
-
TANAFNIT-EL BORJ - Khéni a
40
106
2010
4 u bines
MAACHOU - El-Jadida
20.8
-
1929
4 u bines
AHMED EL HANSALI - Kasba Tadla
92
1.2
2003
1 u bine
AIT MESSOUD - Kasba Tadla
6
0.66
2003
2 u bines
AFOURER - Béni Mellal
94
2.5
1953
2 u bines
STEP AFOURER - Béni Mellal
464
2.5
2005
4 u bines
BINE EL OUIDANE - Béni Mellal
135
12.3
1953
3 u bines
ZIDANIA - Béni Mellal
7.1
-
1936
2 u bines
HASSAN I - Azilal
67
70
1991
1 u bine
MOULEY YOUSSEF - Kelâa Des S aghna
24
1
1974
2 u bines
AGDEZ - Oua zaza e
20
-
2023
-
MANSOUR DAHBI - Oua zaza e
10
0.35
1973
2 u bines
AL MASSIRA - Se a
128
9
1980
2 u bines
DAOURAT - Se a
17
5
1950
2 u bines
IMFOUT - Se a
31.2 MW
5
1947 - 1949
2 u bines
LALLA TAKERKOUST - Ma akech
12 MW
7.22
1934
2 u bines
STEP ABDELMOUMEN - Ta oudan
350 MW
-
2022
-
BOUFEKRANE - Meknès
0.6 MW
-
1925
3 u bines
MAASSER - Meknès
0.1 MW
-
2008
-
OUED EL MAKHAZINE - Ksa El Kébi
36 MW
0.5
1979
1 u bine
EL KANSARA - Sidi Slimane
14 MW
0.2
1935
2 u bines
Sou ce: (Powe Technology, n.d.; MASEN, n.d.)
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O e he yea s, hyd opowe has emained a signi ican piece o Mo occo’s enewables equa ion as a majo
pollu ion- educing ool. As au ho i ies and local businesses ha e been keen o de elop s ock ene gies u he ,
adminis a i e p ocedu es ha e also been simpli ied o accele a e he de elopmen o hyd opowe plan s. This
ac ion should suppo u he g ow h in his c i ical ield.
3. The cu en si ua ion and plans o elec ici y ansmission om Mo occo o o he coun ies
The Saha a has a lo o land and sun, making i an appealing place o si e massi e sola gene a ing s a ions, and
he Kingdom o Mo occo is doing jus ha . Add subs an ial wind esou ces inland and on he coas , and Mo occo
looks se o ul il i s decla ed in en ion o sa is ying i s own demands and becoming a egional expo e o No h
A ica and Eu ope. Mo occo is posi ioning i sel as a clean ene gy hub wi h he po en ial o expo enewable
powe o Eu ope. I al eady has wo elec ici y cables connec ing i o Spain and plans o a subsea connec ion o
he UK (Alami, 2021).
Mo occo can become an essen ial ac o in expo ing enewable elec ici y o a la ge egional ma ke by expo ing
g een elec ici y o Eu ope, conside ing i s p oximi y o Spain. In his ega d, se e al EU coun ies ha e
in e es ingly implemen ed a "Roadmap o Sus ainable Elec ici y T ade" (SET Roadmap) and signed an o icial
decla a ion du ing he COP22 wi h Mo occo. In his pe spec i e, Mo occo has al eady achie ed signi ican
elec ici y in e connec ion capaci ies wi h Spain (1,400 MW). The in e connec ion wi h Spain is he unique link
be ween Eu ope and No h A ica (Figu e 1). Mo occo is also in e connec ed wi h Alge ia, wi h an exchange
capaci y o 1,200 MW. Howe e , in 2021, Alge ia decided unila e ally o cu diploma ic ies wi h Mo occo,
which also a ec ed he e mina ion o elec ici y exchange. Table 4 p esen s he quan i ies o Mo occo's
in e na ional exchange o elec ici y.
The A ican ma ke is up-and-coming since i is ela i ely poo ly elec i ied and ep esen s eal in es men
oppo uni ies o u u e yea s (Boulakhba e al., 2020) in Sub-Saha an A ica, which accoun s o 80% o people
lacking elec ici y access (IEA, 2023a, 2023b).
Table 4. In e na ional elec ici y exchanges
Elec ici y
indica o s
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Exchanges
wi h Spain,
GWh
5 833,697
4 926,117
4 950,124
5 747,323
3 778,387
-837,984
293,378
-178,793
1 396,882
Exchanges
wi h
Alge ia,
GWh
176,537
47,408
203,979
149,110
-3,945
-89,645
-61,067
-15.793
-
Elec ici y
p oduc ion,
GWh
33
529,614
34 413,148
35 414,527
37 216,652
37 446,116
38 852,570
38 754,532
41 259,792
41 420,371
Sou ce: In o ma ion p o ided by Mo occan Agency o Ene gy E iciency (ONEE, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021,
2022)
The A ican ma ke is up-and-coming since i is ela i ely poo ly elec i ied and ep esen s eal in es men
oppo uni ies o u u e yea s (Boulakhba e al., 2020) in Sub-Saha an A ica, which accoun s o 80% o people
lacking elec ici y access (IEA, 2023a, 2023b). Cu en ly, Mo occo con inues he p ocess o egional in eg a ion
o ene gy ma ke s. Fi s ly, he coun y has a p ojec o es ablish an elec ical in e connec ion line o Po ugal wi h
a capaci y o 1,000 MW. Mo occo is also planning o expand he in e connec ion wi h Spain by a hi d line wi h a
capaci y o 700 MW (Figu e 1).
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Figu e 1. Mo occo's egional and in e na ional elec ici y connec ions
Sou ce: (Boulakhba e al., 2020)
Al eady in 2022, Mo occo's Ene gy T ansi ion Minis e Leila Benali old Fo bes ha Mo occo could expo mo e
o i s powe om enewables o Spain, Po ugal, and e en he Uni ed Kingdom. Cu en ly, he e a e wo
elec ici y in e connec ions wi h Eu ope, and a hi d is planned. The capaci y o he in e connec ions is 1,400
MW, and powe lows bo h ways, depending on gene a ing and ma ke condi ions in Eu ope and Mo occo (King,
2022).
Discussions a e unde way o es ablish new in e connec ion lines wi h Mau i ania (Boulakhba e al., 2020).
An ambi ious p ojec , Xlinks, is unde conside a ion o de elop a new 3 GW subma ine cable linking Mo occo o
he UK, allowing g een elec ici y o be sen di ec ly o he UK wi hou using exis ing in as uc u e in Spain and
F ance. The p ojec will gene a e 6% o he UK's elec ici y demand (Boulakhba e al., 2020).
The Xlinks p ojec seeks o b oaden Mo occo’s enewables expo ma ke o he UK. The Xlinks Mo occo-UK
Wind P ojec is a 3,500MW onsho e wind powe p ojec in Guelmim-Oued Noun, Mo occo. I is cu en ly in he
pe mi ing s age and is expec ed o en e comme cial ope a ion in 2028 (Powe Technology, 2023).
The Mo occo – UK Powe P ojec will be powe ed by a wind and sola a m wi hin Mo occo's Guelmim Oued
Noun egion. The wind a m will u ilize he eliable T ade Winds in he a ea, d i en by he empe a u e
di e en ial be ween he A lan ic Ocean and he A ican con inen . The windspeed a he gene a ion si e inc eases
h oughou he la e a e noon and e ening, ensu ing powe can be deli e ed o B i ain du ing peak demand.