German investment of up to 300 million euros in Morocco’s energy sector has been blocked in diplomatic crisis because of Rabat`s policies and behavior in and toward Western Sahara. But, now…
Germany and Morocco Sign Hydrogen and Renewables Pact
Germany and Morocco signed on Friday in Berlin an alliance on climate and energy to boost cooperation in renewable energy installations and hydrogen production in the North African country.
Morocco has excellent conditions to host solar and wind power generation capacity and to produce green hydrogen, Germany’s Development and Economy Ministries said in a joint statement today.
Germany, which is betting on future green hydrogen imports to meet its climate goals, hopes that Morocco could become an exporter of the fuel to Europe’s biggest economy.
“Morocco has the best conditions for the energy transition and the production of green hydrogen. Germany wants to import hydrogen,” Development Minister Svenja Schulze said.
The German-Moroccan partnership is aimed to be fair for Morocco to get its fair share of the clean energy supply chain, the minister added.
Germany and Morocco also want to advance the development of a hydrogen economy and politically support the participation of German technology companies and suppliers, said Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Earlier this year, Morocco’s government said it is looking to attract green hydrogen investments by allocating 1 million hectares of public land to projects.
Thanks to abundant sunlight all year round, Morocco has become a major producer of solar power. It is also looking to boost clean energy supply to Europe, given its proximity to the EU, which has set very ambitious clean energy, emission reduction, and net-zero targets.
Located on Europe’s doorstep and harboring ambitions to generate 52% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, Morocco has emerged as a promising energy partner. Morocco also hosts the world`s largest concentrated solar project, the Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex with more than 500 megawatts (MW) of capacity.
Germany, for its part, looks to enable faster development of hydrogen projects and infrastructure by fast-tracking permitting and environmental checks for hydrogen production, storage, and transportation.
Photo: NOOR II and NOOR III Concentrated Solar Power project in Ouarzazate, Morocco. Source: picture alliance / Xinhua News Agency.
| Themes |
| • Energy • International • Land rights • People under occupation • Project management • Public policies |
