General Electric to build wind farm extension in Morocco
GE Renewable Energy has been picked up to supply 40 onshore wind turbines for the 200 MW Aftissat onshore wind farm extension in southern Morocco.
The project is expected to be operational in 2023 and aims to support industrial companies under power purchase agreements, in line with Morocco’s goal to install 52 pc of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Gilan Sabatier, Onshore Wind International Chief Commercial Officer, GE Renewable Energy, said: “Morocco has a great potential for wind energy and has been an early mover in the journey toward renewable energy integration, achieving great progress in its renewable energy targets”.
Since 2009, Morocco has adopted an ambitious energy policy placing renewable energies at the center of the national energy mix. By 2030, the share of renewable resources will have to reach 52% of installed capacity. This is an important turning point for the Kingdom.
The wind farm of Aftissat is located 50 km south of the city of Boujdour. It started operation in 2018 with 56 Siemens turbines capable of producing 3.6 MW which is sold to large industrial customers connected to the national electricity network.
The project helped Morocco to cut CO2 emissions in line with green transition strategy. It also contributed to the reinforcement of the electrical infrastructures of the region thanks to the construction of a 400kV ~ 250 km electric line connecting Laayoune to Aftissat and thus participating in the connection of the city of Dakhla to the national grid.
In yet another sign of its continued efforts to combat climate change through the use of renewable energy, Morocco will install its first floating photovoltaic power plant in Sidi Slimane province.
The plant will be the first of its kind in Africa, and will be executed by Energy Handle, a firm specializing in renewable and green energy, using the new technology of photovoltaics.
The plant is projected to produce an output of 360 KW in its first phase, with an annual production of around 644 MWh annually, using 800 panels.
Hassan Nait Bella, the president of Energy Handle, the company in charge of the project, said that the plant is “the fruit of efforts by the Energy Handle team that lasted for more than a year in partnership with the Spanish firm Isignere.”
