WASHINGTON: Morocco's solar energy agency chief has said the first of five solar power stations to be constructed in the country will be solar thermal technology in the southern Ourzazate area. The North African country is attempting to invest $9 billion in order to build the solar stations and will provide Europe with approximately 20 percent of its electricity. The North African country's government had previously not revealed which solar technology it would choose, with officials saying they were open to all types. “The first stage of the $9 billion solar project will be achieved to satisfy the needs of the country's electricity operator ONE which required the storage of power,” Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) Chief Executive Officer Mustapha Bakoury said on Friday. “That why we opted for technology of thermal solar for this stage involving the building of a solar power unit to produce at least 125 megawatts,” Bakoury said to Reuters news agency on the sidelines of the conference. That unit will be part of the Ourzazate solar complex of 500 megawatts (MW) to be built before the end of 2015. The hope is that the solar project will supply the North African nation with at least 40 percent of its entire energy needs by harnessing the sun's power. International financial institutions, such as the World Bank are currently in discussion with the Moroccan government on how they can help fund such an ambitious project. According to David Jones, a World Bank consultant on other major infrastructure projects in the Nile Basin and now working with Morocco on the solar project, told Bikya Masr in Washington that “we will be there every step of the way to ensure all precautions and all funding can be met to make it a reality. It could be a model for other nations to follow if successful.” Along with the World Bank, Morocco is seeking partnerships with the European Commission and the Desertec coalition of 13 energy and technology companies planning to create a renewable energy grid that crosses Africa in order to ship such energy to Europe. Solar power is not new to Morocco, with one station already functioning in Tangiers off solar panels and another near Tarfaya. The country is also looking to establish a number of wind farms along the Atlantic coast in an effort to immediately trim its energy costs. BM
