Last year, Morocco adopted a national policy for the development of the green hydrogen segment. It thus plans to establish itself as a world leader in the next decade.

10.69 billion dollars, or 100 billion dirhams. This is the sum committed by Total Eren to carry out a green hydrogen and ammonia production project in Guelmim-Oued Noun, a region located in the south of Morocco.

According to details provided on January 25 by sources familiar with the matter, the hybrid project, which will generate more than 10 GW by combining solar and wind energy, received the green light from the Unified Regional Investment Commission on November 25, 2021. (CRUI) . It is an institution in charge of resolving requests related to administrative decisions and authorizations necessary for carrying out investment projects.

It should be noted that this step paves the way for the implementation of the preparatory work. Topographic studies of the site with an area of more than 170,000 hectares, an analysis of the renewable resource and a preliminary project, among others, have already been carried out. The next phase of the process will consist of technical-economic studies of the building, the design of electrical infrastructure and the establishment of alliances with suppliers.

According to the forecasts of the energy company, a subsidiary of the Eren group, owned in a 30% by the French oil giant TotalEnergies, the Guelmim-Oued Noun project will enter the active phase in 2025. The first production is planned for 2027.

It should be noted that it will create many opportunities for the Cherifian kingdom, both locally and internationally. In fact, it will first allow the country to decarbonize certain important sectors of its economy, including mining and shipping, for example. Therefore, it represents an opportunity to create a Moroccan green energy industrial sector that will generate thousands of jobs, direct or indirect, non-relocatable and competitive. Finally, the project will also make it possible to supply Europe with clean energy.

Morocco plans to establish, by 2030, a local energy market of 4 terawatt hours (TWh) as well as an export market of 10 TWh. An objective that will allow the Kingdom to materialize its position as a leader in the global green hydrogen ecosystem. This is stated in the report “Geopolitics of energy transformation: the hydrogen factor”, published on January 15 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Thanks to a favorable climate and strategic positioning, the country has already signed several bilateral agreements to host hydrogen production infrastructure.

Source: Ecofin