Taqa Morocco will develop a 6 GW renewables plant to power a USD 10 bn green hydrogen project: Taqa Morocco — a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) — is looking to develop a 6 GW renewables farm to power a planned MAD 100 bn (c.USD 10 bn) green hydrogen project in the North African country, a company representative familiar with the matter told Asharq Business. If the project moves forward — pending announcement of the country’s awaited green hydrogen strategy — the plant will be Morocco’s largest renewables energy station yet.

What we know so far: Taqa Morocco has already finalized a land allocation agreement with the government, securing 70k hectares in Morocco’s Dakhla-Oued El-Dahab (Dakhla-Valley of Gold) region for its planned project, and says the renewables venture, slated to become operational in a maximum of 10-15 years, will mark the highest ever investment for a clean energy project in the kingdom.

Part of Taqa’s wider decarbonization targets: Taqa Morocco had previously set a target to allocate MAD 3.3 bn (c. USD 320 mn) to develop renewable energy projects in the country yielding an expected 200 MW by 2025. The company plans to invest USD 1.6 bn in renewable energy projects by 2030, Taqa’s CEO Majid Iraqui said back in March. Taqa Morocco sources about 40% of Morocco’s electricity demands from coal production but is looking to halve its coal reliance by 2035.

ALSO- Other developers are eying Dakhla-Valley of Gold for green energy projects too: Developers have been flocking to Morocco’s clean energy sector, signaling an interest to develop several renewables projects with a combined MAD 220 bn investment ticket, an Investment Ministry representative told Asharq Business, without naming the companies. The firms secured plots of land for their projects this year and in 2022, with plans to later establish green hydrogen and ammonia projects in the country.

BUT- Dakhla-Gold Valley is in the disputed Western Sahara region, and companies may face issues exporting: The EU said that it would not import energy from the Western Sahara — where Dakhla city is located — due to the disputed status of the territory, which it recognizes as separate from Morocco under international law. Last month, NGO Western Sahara Resource Watch found that around 81% of the allocated land for projects to be developed in 2024 is located in the contested Western Sahara.

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