Morocco’s heavy investment in the field seeks to position the country as a self-sufficient producer of electricity.
Minister of Energy Aziz Rabbah said Morocco’s investments in the field of renewable energy has exceeded MAD 52 billion ($5.65 billion) over the past 10 years.
The minister vowed that the North African country will invest another MAD 52 billion ($5.65 billion) into the sector.
“These are large investments for the production of electricity so that Morocco does not suffer from any deficit and to control our needs so that the power cuts of 2009 do not happen again,” Rabbah said during his visit to the Tensift Source station in Marrakech.
Rabbah visited the station to inspect the functioning of the electricity supply network in the city with the General Director of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), Abderrahim El Hafidi.
The station is a national very high voltage and high voltage (HTV/HV) interconnection substation that supplies the city of Marrakech and the surrounding region through a 300 megavolt ampere (MVA) transformation.
The station also hosts a distribution station with a power of 1 x70 + 2x40MVA, ensuring the supply of the city of Marrakech’s key sites, Morocco’s state media reported.
The minister of energy acknowledged that electricity transmission and distribution networks are expensive and require “colossal investments.”
He said that the realization of a single power station can cost over MAD 120 million ($13 million) and even MAD 200 million ($21.7 million) as in the case of southern provinces.
According to Rabbah, one kilometer of wiring can cost up to MAD 1 million ($108,729).
“The state and ONEE have made expensive investments to deliver electricity to citizens and industrial units,” he stressed.
Marrakech and its surrounding region alone have three electrical transfer stations that cost MAD 500 million ($54.36 million).
ONEE will establish another station to meet the increasing demand for electricity due to “rampant urbanization and economic development,” Rabbah announced.
Morocco’s Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE) forecasts that Morocco has the potential to produce 96% of its electricity using renewable energy sources by 2050.
The forecast is part of Morocco’s government plans to position the country as a self-sufficient producer of electricity.
The country has been investing in the field heavily in recent years, receiving applause from several international partners.
Part of Morocco’s objective is to be able to produce 52% of its energy through clean renewable sources by 2030.
GlobatData said in September Morocco should be able to reach this objective.
The data analytics company said that Morocco was able to generate 34% of its energy through hydropower alone last year.
