Morocco, UAE sign $14B investment deal for renewable energy and water projects
Consortium to build transmission lines, wind farms, and desalination plants amid Morocco’s clean energy and water security push
RABAT, Morocco (MNTV) — A Moroccan-Emirati consortium signed investment agreements worth nearly $14 billion with the Moroccan government on Monday to develop large-scale renewable energy and water infrastructure projects, with completion targets set for 2030.
The agreements were signed between the Moroccan government, the National Office of Water and Electricity (ONEE), and a three-party coalition comprising the Mohammed VI Investment Fund, the Emirati energy giant TAQA, and Morocco’s Nareva company, owned by the royal family.
The initiative will focus on expanding Morocco’s capacity in renewable electricity generation, long-distance power transmission, and seawater desalination powered by clean energy.
The total value of the projects is estimated at around 130 billion Moroccan dirhams (approximately $14 billion), reported Azzaman News.
TAQA Morocco stated that ownership will be split equally between TAQA and Nareva, while 15 percent of the projects will be held by the Mohammed VI Fund and other Moroccan public entities.
Among the centerpiece projects is a 1,400-kilometer electricity transmission line linking wind farms in the southern provinces, including Western Sahara, to Casablanca. These wind farms are projected to generate 1,200 megawatts of clean energy.
The program also includes an expansion of the Tahadart natural gas power plant in northeastern Morocco, part of the country’s broader efforts to diversify energy sources.
Despite goals to produce 52 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030, Morocco still relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, which currently account for around 90 percent of consumption.
A major component of the investment is focused on water security. The agreements feature the construction of seawater desalination plants with a combined capacity of 900 million cubic meters annually, all to be powered by renewable sources.
This effort is part of Morocco’s broader water strategy to raise desalination capacity from 270 million cubic meters today to 1.7 billion cubic meters annually by 2030, partly to support agricultural needs.
Additionally, the coalition will invest in building a second major waterway to transport around 800 million cubic meters of water per year from northern Morocco to central regions, addressing growing structural water stress.
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