Solar: Noor Ouarzazate Contributes to Africa’s Energy Transition (AfDB)

Abidjan – The Noor Ouarzazate complex, one of the largest solar parks in the world, is contributing to Africa’s energy transition, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.

Such projects, which aim to provide Africa with energy while preserving the environment, help lay the foundations for more inclusive and greener growth on the continent, the AfDB writes on its official website.

Morocco, which aims to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix to 52% by 2030, has opted for an energy transition centered on the development of renewable energies, with the objective of installing additional electricity production capacity totaling 6,000 megawatts from wind, hydraulic and solar sources, the pan-African financial institution points out.

By launching the “NOOR” solar program in 2009, Morocco has planned, for 2020, an additional capacity of at least 2,000 megawatts for the solar source alone, the AfDB adds.

The NOOR Ouarzazate solar complex, south-east of Marrakech, was the first project developed under this energy strategy. With a capacity of 580 megawatts spread over four plants, this complex is one of the largest solar parks in the world.

“Today, it can supply nearly two million Moroccans with electricity and prevent the release into the atmosphere of nearly one million tons of greenhouse gases per year,” according to the AfDB.

Structured on the basis of a public-private partnership approach, the NOOR Ouarzazate solar complex project was supported by the AfDB. In total, the Abidjan-based Bank provided USD 485 million over the various phases.