Introduction
The Kingdom of Morocco’s solar plan, which will be one of the world’s largest solar energy projects, was introduced in November 2009 with the aim of establishing 2,000 MW of solar power by 2020 (the Solar Plan). Five sites have been selected for the development of solar power plants, with the 500MW phase one solar power complex at Ouarzazate being the first to be developed (the Ouarzazate Programme).
The Solar Plan and the wider North African solar initiatives will have a significant impact upon the future of both the North African and European energy markets.
We are very excited about the prospect of large scale deployment of CSP and PV solar projects in North Africa and other countries within the “sun-belt”. The US Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that the cost of generating electricity from CSP is nearly 25 per cent less in North Africa than in Spain – this is due to the excellent levels of radiation and availability of land.
We are currently advising the Australian federal government on its Solar Flagships Program which is one of the other major solar investment initiatives globally and Norton Rose Group is committed in our support of the global solar industry. We aim to play a leading role in the move from the traditional markets of Europe to new markets and utility scale projects.
We have teams who have worked on Moroccan energy projects for many years and understand the unique sector dynamics of this market.
In this briefing we have highlighted selected issues arising out of the RFP process for the Ouarzazate Programme and issues which bidders and lenders may face in connection with the financing of these projects.
View the full Moroccan plan for solar energy - MASEN 500MW Phase One Solar Power Complex at Ouarzazate briefing (pdf 517 KB).
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