Morocco Launches Tender for 400 MW Solar Power Project

© AP Photo / Mosa'ab ElshamyPeople walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022.
People walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 10.08.2023
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Noor Midelt is a hybrid Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Photovoltaic (PV) solar power project being developed by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen). Upon completion, it is expected to be one of the world's largest solar projects combining CSP and PV technologies.
Masen, the country's renewable energy agency, has announced the launch of a prequalification tender to select a private partner to finance, build and operate the third phase of the solar power project in the Atlas Mountains, Noor Midelt III.
The agency said in a statement that the government is pushing to accelerate the implementation of the project as part of a larger plan to increase the share of renewable energy in the country's energy mix.
"Noor Midelt III will have an installed photovoltaic solar capacity of approximately 400 MW and will be equipped with a storage capacity based on battery energy storage systems (BESS) of approximately 400 MWh, thus contributing to the massive integration of renewable energy," read the statement.
According to the agency's statement, the deadline for submitting applications is scheduled for October 20, 2023. It was noted that Noor Midelt III will provide for a greater private sector contribution to the deployment of renewable energy in the North African country and a broad involvement of commercial banks, Moroccan and international ones, in its financing.
 An aerial view of a solar power plant in Ouarzazate, central Morocco on Feb.4, 2016. Renewable energy's potential across the African continent remains largely untapped, according to a new report in April 2022 by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 25.05.2023
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In May 2019, the consortium of Masdar, EDF Renewables, and Green of Africa won the tender to design, finance, build, operate, and maintain the 800-MW Noor Midelt Phase I multi-technology solar power plant. However, the first phase has not yet been completed, partly due to disagreements over CSP technology, according to media reports.
In early July 2023, Masen announced the list of companies pre-qualified to bid as developers for the 400-MW second phase of the Noor Midelt Program.
"With the accelerated deployment of the three power plants Noor Midelt I, II and III, the Midelt region will manage one of the largest solar complexes in the world with a total installed capacity of approximately 1600 MW," the agency said.
The agency emphasized that such capacity will greatly contribute to the country's goal of having an electricity mix with at least 52% renewable energy capacity by 2030. Renewable energy now accounts for 40% of the country's installed power capacity.
In addition, Morocco aims to generate 80% of its energy from renewable sources by 2050.
Created in 2010, Masen is a privately owned Moroccan company responsible for leading and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy in the country. According to its website, Masen places the development of renewable energy "at the heart of its strategy to create an inexhaustible force" for economic, social and environmental progress in Morocco and beyond.
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