Morocco Seeks Tender For 230 MW Plant in Atlas Mountains

Posted by African Examiner South Africa, Southern Africa Wednesday, July 10th, 2019

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Moroccan agency for sustainable energy (MASEN), says it has opened the first stage in a tender process to build, operate and maintain a 230 megawatt solar plant near the town of Midelt in the Atlas mountains.

The agency said in a statement on its website in Rabat that applications for the pre-qualification round of the Noor Midelt II project were open until September 16.

Last May, MASEN awarded Noor Midelt I, a 800 MW plant worth 7.57 billion dirham ($781.5 million), to a consortium of France’s EDF Renewables, UAE’s Masdar and Morocco’s Green Energy of Africa.

Morocco plans to exceed 52 per cent of renewable energy in the national energy mix by 2030.

“Both plants will use Concentrated Solar Plant (CSP) and Photo voltaic (PV) technologies, MASEN,” said.

The two plants will have a combined capacity exceeding that of the already operational 580 MW Noor Ouarzazate CSP plant in Southeastern Morocco, one of the largest in the world.

Report says that the end of 2018, Morocco had installed 1,215 MW of wind energy, 1,770 MW in hydropower and 700 MW in solar, according to official figures. (/NAN)