Morocco shines in the sky of renewable energy – UN & international media say

Morocco has taken center stage in the area of renewable energy promotion and is often cited as an African leader in the field of clean energy by international organizations and media.

Recently, Morocco was cited as an example by the UN Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Inger Andersen, who said the Kingdom stands as a model thanks to its large-scale investments in producing electricity from wind and solar power.

Speaking at a joint news conference with UN chief, Antonio Guterres, she made the case for a global shift into clean energy in order to “make peace with nature.”

Two weeks ago, Financial Times zoomed on the need to speed up energy transformation towards renewables mentioning the potential that such a shift bears for countries reliant on gas and oil imports such as Morocco.

“For places such as Morocco, which imports more than 80 per cent of its energy but also has abundant solar resources, the transition could be an economic gift,” wrote the paper in a story titled “How the race for renewable energy is reshaping global politics.”

Morocco is also on the regional hydrogen trade map, said the paper, highlighting German plans to buy hydrogen from the African country as it seeks to meet its zero emission target by 2050.

Earlier this month, Morocco and Portugal signed a deal to cooperate in green hydrogen production, key to laying basis for carbon-free industries.

Besides its target to generate 52% of its energy mix from renewable sources by 2030, Morocco plans to cut by 20% its energy consumption by the same year.

The Kingdom through its sustainable energy agency MASEN is working with more than 11 African countries to promote renewables on the continent.

MASEN chief Mustapha Bakoury was appointed by the African Development Bank as chair of the steering committee of the ‘Desert to Power’ initiative, which aims to generate 10 GW solar capacity across the Sahel region.