ECONOMY > MOROCCO
The biggest solar complex in Africa n Special lorries transport the components of solar panels for installation
www.enpi-info.eu With support from the European Union, the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency is busy setting up Morocco’s first energy complex. The Ouarzazate plant, which will cover an area of around 2,400 hectares and will be one of the biggest in the world when complete, will be located in a vast area of desert. The complex will produce 500 MW, the equivalent of the volume of electricity used by a town of 250,000 inhabitants. The first tranche of work will be complete in October 2015. A journalist from the European Neighbourhood Information Centre visited the project and sent us this report. Text and pictures by: Safi Naciri (© EU / Neighbourhood Info Centre) Ouarzazate is a city located at an altitude of 150 metres in the Grand Atlas mountains in southern Morocco. It attracts large numbers of visitors with the legendary hospitality of its inhabitants, the splendour of its historic monuments and above all the originality of its cinema studios, which are a draw for the best Hollywood productions. The charming Nicole Kidman came by here a few weeks ago and Tom Hanks, who acted in Forrest Gump, is getting ready to come to Ouarzazate to do some filming. The central administration was quick to send a civil servant to Ouarzazate as a disciplinary measure when the town was in the doldrums, but it has now emerged from that period and is on an upward curve. The town itself is unlikely to be a big draw for investors from Rabat or Casablanca. But the Ouarzazate complex is proving a hit. Ouarzazate has been chosen as the location to set up Morocco’s energy complex, the first of its kind in northern Africa. The plant is part of an ambitious solar plan for the country, which is supported by the EU. This publication does not represent the official view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.
Four solar power stations Ten kilometres north east of the town lies a huge and arid area that seems to go on and on for an eternity. The only sign of life is a young shepherd and his few goats. It’s an ongoing challenge for animals to find places to graze here. Speaking at the premises of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency, young engineer Mamoune Badraoui explains: “The work to complete the first tranche of work will end in October 2015 while setting up sites 2, 3 and 4 is scheduled for 2017, the date of the completion of the project, that will allow 500 megawatts (MW) to be generated, the equivalent of the volume of electricity used by a town of 250,000 inhabitants…One of the plus points of the project is
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Feature no. 123 This is a series of features on projects funded by the EU, prepared by journalists and photographers on the ground or the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre. © 2014 EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre
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“This project will be one of the biggest in the world.”
“One of the plus points of the project is that it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 110,000 tonnes per year.”
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n The site’s medical equipment
includes an equipped ambulance
“This project must be incorporated into the framework of the partnership between Morocco and the EU in the energy, transport and infrastructure sectors.”
Preparatory work underway
that it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 110,000 tonnes per year. This project will be one of the biggest in the world.” Mr Badraoui points out that the work building the complex began in the spring of 2013 over an area of 2,400 hectares. It is made up of four solar power stations. The first one, called Nour 1, for which the work is in progress, will be followed by the Nour 2, Nour 3 and Nour 4 stations. Technological diversity is a special feature of the complex. Thus, Nour 1 and 2 will work on the basis of thermo-solar technology with parabolic trough systems, while Nour 3 will be based on thermo-solar technology with a ‘tower’. Nour 4 will work on the basis of photovoltaic technology. Nour 1 is being set up over an area of 450 hectares with a workforce of 500 employees that will rise to 1,200 in the next phases of the project. The Moroccan Solar Energy Agency is looking to give priority to hiring local labour. Thus, 85% of the administrative and technical staff are Moroccan, of which a sizeable proportion come from the rural commune of Ghassate where the complex is located. The choice of site meets several criteria, which take into account topographical factors, the nature of the ground, seismic risks as well as the very high level of sun with regular direct sunshine. In the complex itself, the focus is on comfort both in the offices and the clinic with its three doctors, its ambulance and modern equipment. A place of prayer - a mosque - is also being built. All the international standards of quality are being respected in this construction site too, which will be music to the ears of the workers. An integrated vision for energy The agency has made a point of backing up the solar energy production by looking to encourage the development of an integrated industry. As part of this vision, efforts have been made to keep imports down in order to save money on currency exchanges and to create local job opportunities. Mamoune Badraoui expects this integrated vision for energy to lead to the generation of 42% of the country’s electrical energy (made up of 14% solar energy, 14% wind energy and 14% hydro energy) by around 2020. Morocco’s solar plan requires a colossal investment of six and a half billion euro. By around 2020, the plan will produce 2,000 MW (which will save on 3.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide) n Water basin used for the construction
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and will put in place a renewable energy service whilst at the same time increasing Morocco’s energy security. This is the first solar project set up in northern Africa and benefits from a considerable amount of EU support to the tune of 345 million euros. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the lead investor among the European financial institutions. Its representative in Rabat, Guido Prud’homme, points out that the EIB will support the project with a loan of 100 million euros. The project also benefits from loans from the French Development Agency and KFW, a German publicly owned banking institution, as well as non-refundable aid of 30 million euros from the EU through the Neighbourhood Investment Fund (NIF). The EIB official highlights the need for a EuroMediterranean electrical energy market to be n The first installations of solar panels developed in the future. “This project must be incorporated into the framework of the partnership between Morocco and the EU, in particular in the energy, transport and infrastructure sectors,” he says. Local society is at the heart of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency’s vision. That focus is clear given the special links with the inhabitants of the rural commune of Ghassate, where the Ouarzazate complex is located. As a result, the road leading to the commune has been tarmacked and holiday camps have been organised for children from the commune and there is a mobile dental care unit which has provided services for the inhabitants of Ghassate. At the end of the day, this is an enchanting location that foretells of a brighter future for Ouarzazate if good use can be made of its solar complex.
The solar complex of Ouarzazate Launched in July 2008 as one of the six priority projects of the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean), this solar plan set itself a broad twin aim: to install 2,000 MW of renewable energies by 2020 and to strengthen interconnections between Mediterranean countries in order to create a Euro-Mediterranean market for green electricity. The solar plan also aims to limit emissions of harmful gases and to create jobs. It requires an investment of six and a half million euro and benefits from EU support amounting to 345 million euro.
To find out more: The Neighbourhood Investment Fund (NIF) project fiche
EU Delegation to Morocco website
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre NIF project fiche
EU Delegation to Morocco Facebook page
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Morocco
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