Solar Energy: WB Lends Morocco additional $125 Mln for Noor-Midelt Complex
The World Bank has granted Morocco a $125 million additional financial support to enable the North African Kingdom build the Noor-Midelt I and II plants expected to produce 600-800 megawatts.
The Noor-Midelt complex will be the country’s second concentrated solar power (CSP) complex built under the Noor Solar Plan. The Solar Plan is a critical component of the country’s goal of producing 52 percent of its electricity through renewable energy by 2030.
The 580-megawatt Noor-Ouarzazate complex is due for completion this year and will be the world’s largest CSP complex. Along with providing power to over one million people, the Noor-Ouarzazate complex will decrease Morocco’s dependence on oil by about 2.5 million tons per year and reduce carbon emissions by 760,000 tons per year. Once complete, the Noor-Midelt complex will be even larger.
“This is yet another step toward a promising clean energy future for Morocco,” said Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb. “The Noor-Midelt power complex seals Morocco’s position as the region’s pioneer in renewable energy.”
The Noor-Midelt complex will be based on a new design that combines CSP and PV technologies. While less expensive, PV does not have the same storage capacity as CSP, which can generate power even when the sun is not shining.
“The design of Noor-Midelt relies on proven technologies that will be operated in a pioneering way to take advantage of the benefits of both CSP and PV technologies on a single site,” said Moez Cherif, World Bank Lead Energy Economist for the Maghreb.
The design and construction of the new solar complex will be led by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), which spearheads Morocco’s transition to renewable energy.
MASEN successfully implemented the first solar complex through a public- private partnership and will use the same model for Noor-Midelt. The model has mobilized private finance to support the development of renewable energy infrastructure and contributed to bringing down the price of CSP through competitive bidding. MASEN also issued Morocco’s first green bond in 2016 to support the shift to green energy.
“MASEN has, in a few years, grown from a start-up operation to a mature organization that has proven it can be a model in the region for successfully implementing renewable energy policies,” said Sameh Mobarek, World Bank Senior Energy Specialist and co-project manager for the Noor Solar Power Projects.
Morocco’s energy strategy aims to develop world-class solar and wind energy resources in a bid to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and move toward a green energy future.
