Morocco to Build Africa’s highest wind tower

Morocco, which is on track to become a world leader in renewable energies, will build the tallest wind tower in the African continent, measuring 144 metres high.

The tower will be constructed by Spanish goup Nabrawind Technologies. It will produce 3.6MW and its installation will begin almost immediately.

This tower allows the installation of a full WTG (tower, nacelle, rotor) without using large-size cranes regardless of the final hub-height thanks to the Self-erecting System (SES).

The SES is conceived to install the lowermost sections of the tower at the last part of the assembly process. For this purpose, the SES is able to hoist the WTG in intermediate stages and install tower sections under it.

The other innovative aspect of Nabralifit is its piled foundation. Unlike the gravitational foundation, which for a tower of this type would require 500m3 of concrete and 60 tons of steel, Nabralift’s piled foundation requires only 80m3 of concrete and 10 tons of steel. This makes this option 60 pc cheaper than the traditional one.

Morocco is developing renewable energy because it imports over 90 pc of its fuel needs and spends 10-12 pc of its gross domestic product on energy imports.

The North African country plans to generate 42 pc of its energy from renewables by 2020, with one-third coming from solar, wind and hydropower.

As part of a low-carbon economy endeavor, Morocco has set an ambitious program seeking to increase the contribution of renewable energies in the national energy mix to 52 pc in 2030.