World Power-to-X Summit: Several partnerships on green hydrogen signed in Marrakech
Several partnership agreements in the field of green hydrogen were signed in Marrakech, on the sidelines of the second edition of the “World Power-to-X Summit” that kicked off on Wednesday.
These partnership agreements aim to promote research and innovation on green hydrogen and seize the opportunities offered by this economic and industrial sector to consolidate Morocco’s energy transition.
The first agreement was signed between the Green H2 Cluster, le Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF) and the Moroccan Employers’ Association (CGEM). It aims to promote cooperation and establish partnerships between the business communities of France and Morocco in the field of hydrogen and its derivatives.
The second agreement was signed between the Institute of Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) and the Hydrogen Center of the Sultanate of Oman, with the objective of initiating collaboration in applied research and training on the hydrogen value chain.
The third agreement was initialed by the Green Energy Park (GEP), the Moroccan Storage Company (SOMAS), the Ibn Tofail University (UIT) and the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM). It aims at establishing collaboration under the MELHY research project “Feasibility study of hydrogen storage in saline cavities.”
The fourth partnership agreement was concluded by the IRESEN and the National Agency of Ports (ANP). Under this accord, will provide support and technical assistance to ANP in the field of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
The fifth agreement was concluded between the IRESEN and the Regional Investment Center (CRI) of Guelmim Oued-Noun in the area of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
The sixth agreement was signed between the IRESEN and “HALDOR TOPSOE”, an engineering firm specializing in catalysts, to establish cooperation in the field of applied research and innovation in the field of Power to X.
In an address by video conference at the opening of this meeting, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, said Morocco has multiple assets to become a key player in the Power-To-X economy, in addition to its undeniable competitive advantage in terms of geography, renewable resources…
The official said that green hydrogen in Morocco, with one of the lowest costs of kwh produced in the world, is an “undeniable competitive advantage”.
“Yet, to really evolve this bubble of innovation and commercialization, we encourage the development of various new sectors in different regions of the Kingdom,” she explained, noting that the goal is to provide Morocco with decentralized, low-carbon renewable energy that is accessible to all at competitive prices.
In this sense, the official recalled that Morocco has already emerged over the past ten years as a leading country in the field of energy transition, noting that a massive development of a green hydrogen economy requires a reduction in the cost of electrolysis facilities, increased investment in R&D, industrialization of derivatives and accelerated capacity building in this field.
For his part, acting Director General of IRESEN, Samir Rachidi, said that hydrogen is a key link in the energy transition and an energy vector with great potential, which is part of both economic development and sustainable development issues.
President of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Hicham El Habti, noted that the international community has made great strides in the disengagement from fossil fuels, by adopting renewable energy sources, indicating that in 2021, the International Energy Agency has estimated that solar, wind, hydrogen and other renewable energies will represent a record 30% of global energy production.
