KfW Development Bank has concluded additional loan agreements totalling €654 million for the Ouarzazate solar complex in southeast Morocco on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU). The loan agreements that have now been signed for the second and third power plants in the solar complex amount to a total of €1.4 billion.
“The realisation of this power plant complex will allow Morocco to make a breakthrough in the development of a low-carbon and climate-friendly future technology and at the same time reduce the country’s heavy dependence on imported energy,” said Norbert Kloppenburg, Member of the Executive Board of KfW Group.
The first power plant, Noor I, has a 160-megawatt capacity and will be connected to the power grid in October 2015. The construction of the Noor II and III power plants is scheduled to begin in April 2015. The Ouarzazate location will have a total capacity of 560 megawatts and is therefore the largest solar complex under construction in the world.
The power plant complex will generate electricity for around 1.3 million people and will emit approximately 800,000 tonnes less CO2 per year than traditional power generation methods. Parabolic troughs, a solar tower
and photovoltaics are the three innovative technologies that are to be used. Furthermore, three of the power plants will feature a salt storage tank, which allows electricity to continue to be supplied at night.
“By implementing the ambitious energy plans, the country is setting itself
up as a pioneer in the region,” added Kloppenburg. “It is the country’s goal to generate 42 percent of its power generation capacity from renewable energies by 2020. The aim of the Moroccan solar plan is to construct solar power plants with a total capacity of 2,000 MW by 2020.”
The support from Germany is making an important contribution to the development of renewable energies in Morocco. The work being carried out is aimed at enhancing the potential of solar energy in the country, just as previous investments in a number of wind parks have looked to increase Morocco’s wind power capacity.