Morocco Energy Situation
Capital:
Rabat
Region:
Coordinates:
32.0000° N, 6.0000° W
Total Area (km²): It includes a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.
446,550
Population: It is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin.
37,840,044 (2023)
Rural Population (% of total population): It refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.
35 (2023)
GDP (current US$): It is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources.
141,109,373,209 (2023)
GDP Per Capita (current US$): It is gross domestic product divided by midyear population
3,672.11 (2023)
Access to Electricity (% of population): It is the percentage of population with access to electricity.
100.00 (2022)
Energy Imports Net (% of energy use): It is estimated as energy use less production, both measured in oil equivalents. A negative value indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.
90.72 (2014)
Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption (% of total): It comprises coal, oil, petroleum, and natural gas products.
88.47 (2014)
Introduction
The Kingdom of Morocco is located on the northwestern boundary of the African continent and the Maghreb region. Besides its western and northern coasts towards the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, it has a border with Algeria in the east, and claims the territory of Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces. Its territory covers 459.000 km2 or an additional 266.000 km2 if the Western Sahara area is included.[1] Morocco has a population of some 33 million[1]. Its diverse climate is Mediterranean in the north and becomes increasingly arid towards the south, with some Mediterranean conditions prevalent also along the Atlas mountain range. Wind tends to be strongest in the very north and south and to some extent in the very east. Solar irradiation tends to be stronger towards the southern and more continental parts of the country.
Energy Situation
According to estimates by ONE, national demand for electricity in 2015 will be 35,000 - 40,000 GWh. MEMEE, however, expects an even higher demand, reaching 44,900 GWh (7,545 MW) in 2015 according to an intermediate scenario. [2]
Primary Energy Supply
Moroccos primary energy supply reached 18.80 Mtoe in 2012[3] which translates to 787 PJ or 219 TWh. It has grown significantly and rather steadily from 7.6 Mtoe in 1990 and 11 Mtoe in 2000 to its current value. Morocco depends on imports for 91% of energy supply.[4] The share of the various sources of the total primary energy supply in 2012 can be seen in the table below.
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| Total Primary Energy Supply 2012 |
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| Energy Source | ktoeCite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag At present the third phase of this project is running, in which wind measurements at the mountainous Atlas and Rif regions are conducted. Wind speeds at the height of 40 m can be found in a presentation held by CDER at workshops.[5] [6] The Sahara Wind Project, supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, is looking at developing the wind potential in Northwest Africa in order to supply energy to Europe.[7] Sahara Wind has conducted wind surveys and investigated the possibility of building a high voltage power transmission line between Morocco and Western Europe. The InWEnt study ‘Wind Regimes of Africa’ published in May 2004 includes an extensive chapter on the wind conditions in Morocco.[8] Until now, there is no legal procedure on how wind power plants are granted permission to produce electricity and to feed it into the grid. So far, close cooperation with ONE is crucial to be able to build and operate wind farms, but during the past year, many developers have been reported to be dissatisfied with ONE’s information and cooperation policy. The new law on renewable energies is poised to improve this situation, but no prediction can be made presently on how effective the new law will be in this respect. To operate a wind farm, IPPs will first have to go through an open tender and negotiate the conditions under which their electricity would be sold to ONE. This process would take a longer time and would be more subject to ONE’s cooperation, as no regulating authority has been established so far. Auto producers do not need to go through a tendering process; however, they also have to negotiate the exact conditions with ONE if they need to use ONE’s grid to transport the electricity from the site of production to the site of consumption. The National Electricity Office ONE has launched a wind farm programme called EnergiPro »1 000 MW Initiative«. A database of potential wind sites in the North and South will be developed. Furthermore, the framework for grid connection shall be set and harmonized. For that purpose, an EnergiePro-team is established to act as interface between project developers and the employees responsible for grid connection within ONE to simplify procedures. The EnergiPro programme shall support the Moroccan aim to increase the share of renewable energies by 2012. At present, 15 projects have applied for this initiative, together they account for 869 MW. This is not the 1 000 MW envisaged by the programme, but according to information from ONE, no more capacity can be supported by the existing grid.[9] ►Go To Top
BiomassIn Morocco, the major form of renewable energy is biomass, mostly in the traditional form of fuel, wood or charcoal for heating and cooking purposes. Having said that, charcoal production has dropped by almost 13% in the recent past from about 3,398.6 kt in 2010 to about 2,976.8 kt in 2011.[10] ►Go To Top BiogasSo far, no sources have been found supporting the fact that Morocco is making use of biogas in its energy mix. ►Go To Top Hydro PowerIn 2008, 1,360 GWh were produced from hydro power, 298 GWh from wind. ONE operates 26 hydro power stations with a total installed capacity of 1,360 MW. In addition, hydro power comes partly from a 464 MW pumped storage power plant near Beni Mallal/Afourer. In Oued Oum Er Rbia, micro hydro power stations shall be developed in the future. For that purpose, a programme has been set up to identify potential sites of which 200 could be identified. Furthermore, pilot projects are to be operated and evaluated now or soon; the development, financing and construction of more stations will be pursued in the future. ►Go To Top Other Renewable SourcesBesides wind, hydro and solar power, Morocco is also producing a lot of thermal energy. Between January and and July in 2011, the exploitation of thermal energy resulted in the production of some 12,075.9 Gwh (an increase of 16.3% compared to the same time span in 2010).[11] Having said that, it appears that the term "thermal" is refering to the concept of CSP, a technology that is likewise working with heat. It is true that this interpretation is not explicitly stated. However, there is no evidence for any other source of thermal energy in Morocco than CSP. ►Go To Top
Electricity SituationIn 2011, the transmission grid was owned by the state power utility ONE and consisted of 21,434 km of 400 kV, 225 kV, 150 kV and 60 kV lines. It covers the entire country and is connected to the Algerian and Spanish power grids via regional links. The capacity of the connection between Morocco and Spain is 1,400 MW via two 400 kV subsea cables, between Algeria and Morocco there is a 1,200 MW connection via three 400 kV lines. Up-to-date figures published by ONE display an ambitious expansion of its distribution network. According to ONE, said network currently consists of 20.,77 km of high voltage lines, 68,310 km of medium voltage lines and 162,385 km of low voltage lines, summing up to a total amount of 251,572 km.[12] The retail of electricity to the final consumers is in the responsibility of ONE (for most of the country), seven local municipal authorities (»Régies«) (Marrakech, Fès, Meknes Tétouan Safi, El Jadida-Azemmour and Larache-Ksar El Kébir) and four private companies (»gestion déléguée«), using ONE’s grid Casablanca, Rabat-Salé Tanger Kénitra). The losses in the network accounted for 4.7 % in 2007.[13] ONE aims to strengthen and extend their grid. They plan to extend the 400 kV, 225 kV and 60 kV lines and aim to construct a third 400 kV subsea connection to Spain. Furthermore, a 400 kV connection to Algeria is currently implemented to enforce the existing 225 kV connection. According to ONE, the grid in the south is not sufficient for new (renewable) capacities, ONE aims to build 650 km of 400 kV lines between Agadir and Laâyoune; this 400 kV line to the South is supposed to be in operation by 2012.
In recent years, Morocco has made great progress in providing grid power to its population. In 1996, ONE launched a national electrification programme named Programme pour l’Electrification Rurale Global (PERG). The rate of rural electrification was only 18 % in 1995 before the programme started, but rose steadily to 97.4 % by the end of 2011. ONE does not indicate whether the electrification figure is calculated with respect to households or villages, but gives numbers of electrified households and villages: 34,070 villages, or 1,938,747 households, had been provided with an electricity supply by the end of 2011 through the scope of the PERG programme.[14] Even villages situated long distances from the power grid now have a basic decentralised electricity supply, stemming from renewable energy sources. By the end of 2011, 51,559 households in 3,663 villageswere equipped with PV kits. Electricity Supply
In 2011, the amount of electricity produced by the public utility ONE and the three independent power producers (JLEC, EET and CED) totaled 24,363 GWh (45% by ONE; 55% under concession). Thermal power generation accounts for 87 % of the national electricity generation, hydropower accounted for 8,2 % of electricity supplies, and wind power for 2,8 %. Alhough the installed capacity in Morocco has grown in the past, it could not meet the stronger growing electricity demand. This resulted in an increase of imports from 67,3 in 2010 to 85,9 Milliards MAD in 2012.[15]
Electricity ConsumptionThe electricity consumption according to sectors shows that the largest consumer is the industry with 38 %. The average electricity consumption per capita is about 747 kWh.[18] For the period up to 2015, the Government of Morocco is expecting the annual growth rate to be as high as 7.5 %, mainly due to socioeconomic development and a growth of population.
Electricity Price
Electricity prices in Morocco are, by regional standards, relatively high. The price of electricity for final consumers is fixed by decree from the Prime Minister of Morocco. Subsidies on electricity prices have been phased out in recent years, leading to a steady but moderate price increase. Rural customers have the possibility to participate in a prepaid system based on pre-paid meters. For electrical supply, the customer can purchase the desired amounts via rechargeable cards sold for 20 DH (1.8 €). Key Problems of the Energy Sector
Policy Framework, Laws and RegulationsThe Moroccan Ministry of Energy and Mines reserves the right to act as tutelage for all enterprises that are comprised in the sector of energy, while executing the governmental policies concerning energy, mining and geology.[20] The ministry defines its function amongst others as:
General Energy Policy, Energy StrategyMorocco has a National Energy Strategy, presented by the MEMEE in 2009, which also includes a strategy for electricity in general and renewable electricity in particular. The strategy focuses on security of supply, diversification of national energy sources in order to reduce the dependence on imports, accessibility of energy for all, energy at the lowest cost, energy efficiency and environment and safety. The share of renewable energies shall be increased to 10 % of primary energy supply and to 18 % of power generation by 2012. According to the strategy, natural gas could make up 30 % (being 5 % in 2009) of fuel for thermal electricity production in 2030. In return, the share of coal would go down to 19 % from the current 34 % and heavy fuel oil to 8 % from 24 %. In relation to the legal framework, the Royal Decree no. 1-63-226 from 1963 and its amendments set the framework for the electricity market. Here, the creation of ONE as a state-owned utility and grid operator was established. At present, a law about the restructuring of the electricity sector is under discussion, but there is no official deadline fixed for the presentation of the law to parliament. This restructuring law will cover the aspects mentioned under the chapter on liberalization. Renewable energies are not explicitly dealt with in the general law for the electricity market, but a law on renewable energies has passed the Council of Ministers in April 2009. This law, which is still a draft and currently awaits approval by the Parliament, is presented in the chapter on legal conditions for renewables. The Moroccan government has recognized the possibility of meeting the growing electricity demand, at least partly with renewable energies. The further exploitation of renewable energies would also decrease the high dependency on the import of fossil fuels which at this time is as high as 96 %. It has to be mentioned though that the exploitation of gas and oil is also considered as a way to strengthen the national security of supply, and to meet the growing energy demand. However, with the current share of renewables in electricity production being less than 7 %, the government’s aim to reach a 20 % share in 2012 seems very ambitious. This is all the more valid, as the law for renewable energies has not entered into force yet and the market is still not liberalized. The fact that these two aspects are currently being considered might however be taken as a sign that renewable energies are seriously considered in the future of Moroccan energy policy. This is also reflected by the fact that in July 2008, 43 countries from Europe, the Middle East and Africa founded the new Mediterranean Union, which also includes Morocco. They agreed on the important role solar energy should play in the future and will now explore the feasibility, development and realisation of a Solar Action Plan. In January 2009, Morocco was one of 75 founding members of IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency. In July 2009, the DESERTEC12 initiative was officially launched by, amongst others, the German utilities Eon and RWE, but also Siemens, Münchener Rück and Deutsche Bank. DESERTEC’s aim is to build concentrating solar thermal power plants (CSP) in deserts to supply renewable electricity to North-African, European and Middle Eastern countries. The plants should be connected to the consumption sites by high voltage direct current transmission (HVDC) lines. According to CDER, Morocco aims at being one of the leading countries in this project and at playing a key role in supplying the electricity. Specific Strategies (Biomass, Renewable Energies, Rural Electrification, Energy Access Strategy etc.)Within the National Energy Strategy, separate targets for renewable energies are given. The share of renewable energies shall be increased to 10 % of primary energy supply and to 18 % of power generation by 2012, which is – due to the short time frame and a current share of 7 % in electricity production – a very ambitious target. By 2020 / 2030, the strategy considers it possible to exploit a wind potential of about 7,000 MW, 1,080 MW of solar PV and 400 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP). It is not clearly stated how Morocco intends to reach these targets, but a new law on the electricity market as well as one on renewable energies are under discussion. In addition, some support programmes for renewable energies exist or are in the planning stage. The Ministry of Energy, Mining, Water and the Environment has aggregated its efforts to promote renewable energies in a document named »sector of energy and mining – essential realisations 1999 to 2008, challenges and perspectives«[22] including an outlook until 2015. One aim of this plan is that by 2015 wind farms with a total capacity of 1,440 MW are supposed to be operational. 400,000 m2 of solar collectors are to be installed for producing hot water and 400 MW of small hydro energy are envisaged. In total, these actions are meant to save the energy equivalent of about 500,000 toe (5.8 TWh). In addition, it also includes efforts to promote the use of energy efficient technologies in households, public buildings and industry. Important Laws and Regulations
The law regarding renewable energies (n° 13-09) was published in the Official Gazette of March 18, 2010, page 58: http://www.sgg.gov.ma/.
The law provides 4 major advantages: 1.) opening competition for production of electricity from renewable sources. 2.) Acces to medium voltage, high voltage and very high voltage national electricity grid to any power producer from RE sources. This right, however, is subject to the technical capacity of the respective grid and has to be authorized by the grid operator. 3.) The possibility to export electricity produced from a RE source by using the national electricity grid and the interconnections. 4.) Possibility is given to any developer to build a direct transport line if the national electricity grid or transport interconnection does not suffice.
The law does not introduce fixed tariffs but states that all economic questions, as well as the technical conditions, have to be negotiated on a case by case basis between the grid operator and the power producer. The permission for electricity production from renewable sources is granted for 25 years; after this time, it can be either prolonged for another 25 years, or the production site becomes property of the state. A challenge for wind projects is the fact that projects with a generating capacity of more than 2 MW will only be allowed in zones foreseen for wind projects. These zones, however, have not been announced yet which would mean that at the moment no bigger wind projects would be eligible for authorization. As the law is still a draft, this problem could be solved before the law enters into force. In June 2008, ONE introduced the EnergiPro-programme, which supports the auto-production of renewable energy. Entities with high electricity consumptions can construct wind farms up to 50 MW and connect them to the HV/VHV-ONE grid for transmission to the consumption site. Until 2011, the grid operator will impose a wheeling charge of 0.5 euro cents/kWh (6 cDH/ kWh). After 2011, the charge will rise to 0.7 euro cents/ kWh (8 cDH/kWh). The surplus electricity can be sold to ONE at a price of 50 % of the medium and weighted ONE tariff of the consumer. ONE will guarantee the supply independently from the momentarily production. Institutional Set-up in the Energy SectorONE is a public law company answering to the Ministry of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment (MEMEE) and has been responsible for the generation and transmission of electricity in Morocco since 1963. It operates as a single buyer and owns the transmission and most of the distribution grid. Since 1994, power plants with capacities up to 10 MW can also be built and operated by private enterprises, and above 50 MW on the condition that the project was subject to open tendering and all power produced is sold to ONE. This opening of the electricity market is governed by law no. 2-94-503 dated 23 September 1994 and forms part of an attempt to offer electricity to consumers at internationally competitive prices. In a policy decision in 2001, it was determined that this objective was to be achieved through the opening of the Moroccan electricity market with respect to electricity generation, distribution and sale in several stages, but little effort has been made to realise this decision. One measure in 2008 was to allow IPPs to operate power plants of up to 50 MW installed capacity instead of the previous threshold of 10 MW. In 2009 Law 13-09 has passed which specially authorizes private generation of power from renewable source of energy. According to RCREEE, currently the total capacity of IPPs producing renewable energy consitutes 124 MW while the total generation capacity of conventional electricity is 1 704 MW.[23] Regarding the supporting policies public tendering of large-scale wind and solar power projects constitutes the main mechanisms. There is no obligation to conclude long-term power purchase agreements with private produvers of renewable energiers. Neither feed-in tariffs nor a net-metering policy for small-scale are available for renewable energie projects.[23] However, IPPs still have to rely on ONE’s cooperation as there is no regulating authority established in Morocco. Currently it is always compulsory to deal with ONE in its role as a single buyer and operator of the transmission network. Another goal of the further opening of the electricity market is to divide the Moroccan electricity market into two parts, an open market segment and a regulated one. Customers will be split into eligible and non-eligible customers, depending on a threshold based on annual consumption. This threshold has not yet been defined. Eligible clients will be able to choose whether to purchase electricity from the open or from the regulated market. Switching will be possible according to rules not yet defined. Those not belonging to the category of eligible customers shall continue to purchase their electricity from the regulated market at officially determined prices in order to secure the supply of power to private households with a low voltage connection at prices set by the state. There are several funding mechanisms in Morocco. In 2008 an energy investment company for developping renewable energy (SIE) was created by law 40-08. SIE intends to support RE development and contains a capital of 1 million DH. While 71% are endorsed by the state, the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Developpent account for 29%. Moreover the Energy Development Fund (FDE) was established in 2010 and contains a capital of 1 billion USD. The Hassen II fund contributes with 200 million, 300 millions are endorsed by UAE and 500 million by Saudi-Arabia. Legally, there is no policy that provides financial guarentee to private investors to ensure payment under power purchase agreement. Morocco also do not offer any fiscal incentives like tax or duty benefits[23] (except for tax deduction for solar water heating appliances). Governmental Institutions Private Sector (enterprises, NGOs)
Activities of Other Donors, Activities of NGOsGIZ activities in Morocco started in the 1990s with a wind energy programme which offers different services:
This wind energy programme was one of the very first renewable energy programmes in Morocco. It greatly contributed to establishing renewable energy as an important topic in the country and served as a basis for all following activities, like for instance the construction of the 60 MW wind farm at Essaouira. Currently, GIZ is working with the Government of Morocco on a programme for renewable energy and energy efficiency promotion. The project is pursuing an integrated concept that combines policy advisory services, sectoral and technical support and institutional promotion. It also includes knowledge transfer and networking of applied research on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Its efforts focus on different aspects:
Results achieved so far:
Morocco is a priority partner country of German Development Cooperation. Since 1961, a total of 1.6 billion € of German promotion funds has flown to Morocco. Today, cooperation is also targeted to the energy sector (in particular wind and solar energy). Since February 2008, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has been advising CDER and MEMEE in Morocco on developing the law on renewable energies. Between 1997 and 2000, GIZ’s TERNA Wind Energy programme carried out wind measurements at three different sites that have lead to concrete investment projects. The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) has been active in various wind farm projects. KfW’s Tanger wind farm project with a capacity of 3.5 MW, commissioned in 2001, was the first donor-financed wind energy scheme in Morocco. Until now, KfW has also supported the wind farm Essaouira with a capacity of 60 MW, commissioned in 2007, and is engaged in a second wind farm in the Tanger region (140 MW). KfW also promoted PV projects to realise rural electrification, in which private companies were involved at an early stage in order to maintain the systems. Other international assistance organisations are also active in Morocco. The World Bank, for example, is promoting modernisation of the energy sector with a loan of 100 million US$. The World Bank together with the African Development Bank is also involved in the financing of a solar thermal combined-cycle power plant whose overall project costs accounts to around US$800 million.[24] In 2010, Morocco launched an ambitious integrated project which is set up to exploit its enormous solar energy resources in order to produce clean electricity. GIZ has been accompanying the development of Renewable Energies policy in Morocco for a long time. By enforcing the cooperation, the two countries intensify their interaction in this field. This partnership contains, amongst others, the co-funding of the thermal Power Station in Ouarzazate as well as technical assistance of the Moroccan Solar Energy Plan. The supporting project « Accompagnement du Plan Solaire Marocain (APSM) » aims to enable the development of industrial capacities and scientific research in the solar energy sector within Morocco. The two countries agreed on the following:
The general objective of the APSM project is the integration of the Moroccan industry and research in the solar energy sector (Moroccan Solar Energy Plan). The project duration is foreseen to be from January 2012 until June 2014.[25]
Existing Projects
Solar Energy: Case Study
Morocco’s National Electricity Office, ONE, has developed a programme for the electrification of areas through solar power by a joint venture with EDF, Total and Tenesol.The programme aims to increase access and reduce poverty in peri-urban areas through adopted solutions, including demand side management projects. In regions where housing is scattered, it is impossible for the electricity grid to reach each individual house in a cost-effective way, but by using solar power the inhabitants of these regions can also enjoy the benefits of electricity. The project’s objectives are to:
In order to generate its own electricity, each house is fitted with a solar home system in which the solar panel turns the sun’s rays into electricity that is stored in a solar battery that provides electricity at night, and stores enough power to last up to five days. The electronic controller automatically manages the charging and discharging of the battery[26]. For more information on the project, click here.
Publications
Further Information
References
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