Water and energy supply: industrial cooperation transforming the Moroccan model

The agreement signed between the Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE), TAQA Group, NAREVA and the @FM6I Foundation, with institutional support from the United Arab Emirates, marks the launch of a business partnership aimed at creating synergies in two strategic sectors: energy generation and water desalination. 

The initiative is not limited to the construction of plants or investment in assets. It aims to establish a productive ecosystem in which the availability of energy and water acts as a basis for industrial, agricultural and urban development. The project includes the construction of natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants and desalination facilities that will run on locally produced energy. This technical integration optimises resources and reduces pressure on aquifers, especially in coastal areas where demand for water and electricity is growing steadily. 

The proposed scheme envisages that the energy generated will feed both the national grid and the desalination systems, allowing for greater operational stability and facilitating medium- and long-term planning. The involvement of operators with international experience in hybrid resource management, such as TAQA and Nareva, adds a dimension of knowledge transfer and execution capacity that may prove useful for future replicas of this model in other regions. 

From an economic point of view, these developments bring stability to resource-intensive sectors such as irrigated agriculture, the chemical industry and mineral processing, which require security of supply to remain competitive. They also represent an opportunity to strengthen the local value chain in sectors such as construction, industrial maintenance and process engineering. 

The evolution of this type of initiative will be closely watched by other countries facing similar challenges. Morocco is not only making progress towards its energy and water goals, but also providing a practical reference for integrating production, distribution and consumption in a coordinated manner. 

Juan Antonio Vidal 

Plant Manager InCom Composites Morocco SARL