Morocco invites interest in 400MW PV solar project
The Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) has invited developers to submit expressions of interest (EOI) for a 400MW photovoltaic (PV) solar project.
The client has invited developers to submit interest by 28 February for the Noor PV 2 programme, which will involve developing 40MW PV solar projects at 10 different sites. Each site may be split into several plants of 5MW to 20MW, depending on proposals.
Masen is intending to issue tender documents to prequalified developers in the second quarter of the year, with bid submission and contract award scheduled for the second quarter of 2020, according to sources close to the project.
Morocco has emerged as one of the leading proponents of renewable energy in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) over the past five years, having successfully launched and developed some of the largest solar schemes in the region.
The North African state’s progress with developing clean energy is part of its strategy to reduce its historical reliance on energy imports. In 2009, the government set a target for renewables to contribute to 42 per cent of total power production by 2020.
Following the successful launch of its Noor PV programme, in 2017 Rabat set a target for 52 per cent of its energy requirements to come from clean energy sources by 2030.
Masen awarded the contract for the country’s first major solar project, the 160MW Noor 1 CSP solar plant, to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power in 2012. Acwa Power was also successful in the tender for the Noor 2 and Noor 3 CSP projects in 2015.
The Saudi developer cemented its dominance in Morocco’s burgeoning solar market in 2017 when it was appointed for the country’s first major PV solar project, the 170MW Noor 1 PV scheme. The Noor 1 programme consists of three PV solar plants at Ouarzazate, Noor Laayoune and Noor Boujdour.
In 2019, Masen awarded a contract to consortium of France’s EDF and UAE-based Masdar to develop the Noor Midelt IPP, Morocco’s first hybrid CSP-PV solar scheme. The Noor Midelt 1 scheme will consist of two-hybrid solar plants, each with a capacity of 400MW.
According to sources close to the project, the selected consortium is due to sign the power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Noor Midelt 1 project in the first quarter of this year.
In July last year, Masen invited developers to prequalify for the second phase of its Noor Midelt programme, Noor Midelt 2 IPP. The IPP will have a total capacity of 800MW, matching the capacity of the first Noor Midelt project.
The main difference between the two Noor Midelt projects is the addition of a battery storage (BESS) option for bidders to include in proposals. The battery storage option is in addition to the molten salt storage for the CSP component.
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