After several years of delay, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) wants to speed up the implementation of its Noor Midelt programme. The agency has just launched a call for tenders for the construction of the Noor Midelt III solar power plant. The 400 MW plant will be equipped with a battery storage system capable of storing around 400 MWh, and independent power producers (IPPs) interested in pre-qualifying have until 20 October 2023 to apply.
According to Masen, the way Noor Midelt III is structured will enable the private sector to make a greater contribution to the deployment of renewable energies, with Moroccan and international commercial banks playing a major role.
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This call for tenders comes just a few weeks after the publication of the results of the pre-qualifications for the 400 MW Noor Midelt II solar power plant. At least 12 companies, most of them in consortia, have been shortlisted. These include France’s EDF Renouvelables, Italy’s Enel Green Power, Spain’s Iberdrola Renovables International, Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power and China’s Dongfang Electric International Corporation.
“With the accelerated deployment of the three Noor Midelt I, II and III plants, the Midelt region will be home to one of the largest solar power complexes in the world, with a total installed capacity of around 1,600 MW. This will make a major contribution to achieving the Kingdom’s objective of having, by 2030, an electricity mix in which at least 52% of capacity will be of renewable origin”, says MASEN. Morocco has a clean electricity production capacity of 4,109 MW, according to the National Electricity and Drinking Water Company (ONEE).
Jean Marie Takouleu