Green Hydrogen: Second ‘World Power-to-X Summit’ Opens in Marrakech

Marrakech – The second edition of the “World Power-to-X Summit” (PTX22) opened, Wednesday in Marrakech, with the participation of a host of policy makers, industrialists and experts from over thirty countries.

Organized by the Institute of Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN), in partnership with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), this event, which will run until June 24, aims to discuss innovative strategies in the field of green hydrogen and seal partnerships for a new era of clean energy.

“Morocco has multiple assets to become a key player in the Power-To-X economy, in addition to our undeniable competitive advantage in terms of geography, renewable resources …”, said Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, in an address by video conference at the opening of this meeting.

Affirming that this ambitious strategy is carried at the highest level of the State, through the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Benali said that green hydrogen in Morocco, with one of the lowest cost of kwh produced in the world, is an “undeniable competitive advantage”.

“But to really evolve this bubble of innovation and commercialization, we encourage the development of various new sectors in different regions of the Kingdom,” she explained, noting that the goal is to provide Morocco with decentralized, low-carbon renewable energy that is accessible to all at competitive prices.

In this sense, the Minister recalled that Morocco has already emerged over the past ten years as a leading country in the field of energy transition, noting that a massive development of a green hydrogen economy requires a reduction in the cost of electrolysis facilities, increased investment in R&D, industrialization of derivatives and accelerated capacity building in this field.

For his part, acting Director General of IRESEN, Samir Rachidi, said that hydrogen is a key link in the energy transition and an energy vector with great potential, which is part of both economic development and sustainable development issues.

President of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Hicham El Habti, noted that the international community has made great strides in the disengagement from fossil fuels, by adopting renewable energy sources, indicating that in 2021, the International Energy Agency has estimated that solar, wind, hydrogen and other renewable energies will represent a record 30% of global energy production.