Morocco: the Boujdour wind farm comes into service
With the official inauguration and commissioning of an eighth wind power project, Morocco's energy sector enters a new era aimed at boosting the country's economy while trying to preserve the environment. In a press release issued on Tuesday 25 July, ONEE announced that “Morocco has taken another important step in its commitment to accelerate its energy transition with the commissioning of all the wind turbines at the Boujdour wind farm”.
The contract for the construction of this wind farm was signed in November 2019 between the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) and ONEE, as well as private partners resulting from several calls for bids. This new construction, started in 2021, will increase the electricity transmission capacity of the grid in southern Morocco. It will provide a more efficient and reliable electricity transmission and distribution service, especially over long distances.
The Boujdour wind farm is the 17th largest Moroccan wind farm project in the world and the largest transformer station, to date, with a capacity of 400/225 megawatts (MW). It was set up as part of the 850 MW Integrated Wind Energy Project programme, and its installed capacity represents 300 MW of the total project. The other wind projects are located in Midelt (180 MW), Jbel Lahdid in Essaouira (200 MW), Tiskrad in Tarfaya (100 MW) and Tangier II (70 MW).
The collaboration between ONEE and private partners in the Boujdour project reflects not only the desire to promote sustainable energy practices, but also Morocco's position as an international leader in the fight against climate change. Indeed, this new wind farm is positioned as a major clean energy production plant, capable of meeting the energy needs of thousands of Moroccan households. The plant is expected to produce more than 1,500 gigawatts per hour of clean energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,145,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The Boujdour wind farm project has required an investment of 3.9 billion Moroccan dirhams, about 402 billion US dollars. The energy produced by the Boujdour wind farm will be supplied to ONEE under a purchase contract with one of the lowest tariffs in the world. Finally, the project will create about 30 direct jobs and 300 indirect jobs for Moroccan citizens.
Commenting on these achievements, ONEE Director General Abderrahim El Hafidi said: “The commissioning of the Boujdour wind farm and the transition to 400 kV for the southern grid are key milestones in our ongoing commitment to a more sustainable energy future. These projects reflect our determination to contribute to reducing our country's carbon footprint and building a sustainable future for Morocco.”
Morocco's national energy strategy
The Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (MTEDD) attaches great importance to the new strategy adopted for the energy sector. The main objective of this strategy is to make sustainable energy transition a driver of Morocco's economic and social development. According to the MTEDD, the main objectives of this strategy are to ensure security of supply, energy availability, generalised access to energy, control of demand and preservation of the environment.
The Ministry aims for 52 % of electricity consumption to come exclusively from renewable energies by 2030, while gradually reducing its energy dependence on external exports. In addition to developing wind farms, Rabat has invested heavily in solar energy, as demonstrated by the Noor Ouarzazate and Noor Midelt projects.
