Morocco has become the first country in Africa to unveil an offshore wind project. The farm, which was announced during a UN conference in Nice last week, will have a capacity of 1GW and will be located off the port of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.
Leila Benali, Morocco’s minister for energy transition, said the project was “part of a dynamic that combines energy independence, industrial attractiveness and economic competitiveness”.
The work will be supported by the Blue Mediterranean Partnership, a fund promoted by the Union for the Mediterranean, a forum for 43 countries in the region. Its aim is to progress the “blue economy” – the maritime equivalent of the green economy.
Conditions off the coast of Morocco can be close to ideal for offshore wind. Essaouira is known as the “Windy City of Morocco” owing to its strong, year-round winds. These blow from the Atlantic at the optimal speed of 11 m/s, and are caused by rising air in the Sahara.
Last year, Morocco, with the aid of a $2.1m loan from the European Investment Bank, issued a call for a feasibility study on offshore wind (see further reading). The exercise was overseen by the Moroccan Renewable Energy Agency.
Morocco has set a target of increasing renewable generation to 52% of its electricity mix by 2030. At present, the country is on course to hit this target, with government data showing that onshore wind energy reached 2.4GW by the end of last year.
According to the World Bank, Morocco has the potential to generate up to 200 GW from offshore wind farms along its 3,500km coast.
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