Morocco: $265 mln Injected in Solar Project in Atlas Mountains

The achievement of the solar energy project in Midelt, in the Middle Atlas mountainous range, took a leap forward with a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) worth $265 million.

Moroccan news outlets reported that the funding will help push forward the completion of the first phase of Noor Midelt project, which will have a total capacity of 800 megawatts.

The Midelt solar plant will use cutting-edge hybrid solar-generating technology, which combines concentrated thermal power and solar photovoltaic to create a 24-hour power supply from the sun.

The plant consists of two separate CSP plants, each with 150-190 MW CSP capacity and a minimum of 5 hours of thermal storage. The envisaged installed capacity of the PV component could reach approximately 150-210 MW, making the total capacity of each of the proposed plants 300-400 MW and the total capacity of this first phase 600-800 MW.

The project will significantly contribute to Morocco’s achievement of its Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, including its goal of achieving 52% of installed capacity from renewable energy (20% from solar) by 2030.