| Approval Date | 03 Dec 2014 |
| Signature Date | 19 Dec 2014 |
| Planned Completion Date | 30 Jun 2020 |
| Last Disbursement Planned Date | 30 Jun 2020 |
| Sovereign / Non-Sovereign | Sovereign |
| Sector | Power |
| DAC Sector Code | 23230 |
| Environmental Category | 1 |
| Commitment | U.A 56,794,644.92 |
| Status | Completion |
This project is phase II of the Ouarzazate Solar Complex whose commissioning is expected in 2017 in order to meet national needs. Phase I is under construction and includes the construction of all the common infrastructures and the first 160 MW solar power station (NOORo I) to be operational by the end of 2015. Phase II aims to reach a capacity of about 500 MW by the construction of two plants (NOORo II and NOORo III) with a total capacity of about 350 MW, in Public Private Partnership (PPP) as for NOORo I. The Ouarzazate complex is part of the Moroccan solar program that aims to develop 2,000 MW by 2020. It will be executed by MASEN. Its total cost is estimated at EUR 1 752 million. In addition to the Bank and the FTP, the other partners involved are the French Development Agency (FDA), the World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB), KFW Bankengruppe and the EU.
The project will help prevent the emission of approximately 522 000 tonnes of CO2 per year, hence its contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change. The project will help secure the energy supply of the population (more 98% has access to electricity) and productive sectors. The project aims to support the economic and social development of Morocco, while respecting the environment by the introduction of clean electricity generation capacity. The project involves the construction of two solar thermo concentrating power plants; a 200 MW parabolic mirror plant (NOORo II) and a 150 MW solar tower plant (NOORo III) with a total capacity of approximately 350 MW, and an estimated cumulative production of more than 1 100 GWh/year on average. Each plant will be equipped with a thermal energy storage device of at least five (05) hours of operation at full capacity, which ensures a better integration of the production in the electrical mix especially during peak hours which are, in Morocco, between 5 pm and 10 pm in winter and between 6 pm and 11 pm in summer.
The beneficiaries of the project will be the Moroccan populations, Moroccan companies and all the productive sectors (industries, transport, agriculture, etc.) which will benefit not only from a better availability of electricity supply but also from cleaner power generation. At the local level, the project will have socio-economic benefits in the Ouarzazate province whose population is estimated at 583,000 inhabitants and where the poverty rate is around 23%.
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Implementing
Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN)
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Extending
Government of Morocco
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Funding
African Development Bank
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| IATI identifier | 46002-P-MA-FF0-002 |
| Last Update | 21 Mar 2023 |
| Name | Mohamed Mehdi KHOALI |
| m.khoali@afdb.org |