Morocco has chosen five investors as possible developers for six green hydrogen projects with a total investment of MAD 319 bn (c.USD 33 bn), according to a statement issued last week. The government will offer each project up to 30k hectares of land in the southern region after a preliminary agreement is inked. No timeline for finalizing the agreements nor the projects was disclosed.
Who’s being tapped? The ORNX consortium — comprising American Ortus, Spanish Acciona, and German Nordex — will invest in ammonia production. UAE’s Taqa and Mubadala-owned Spanish Moeve — formerly known as Cepsa — will develop ammonia and synthetic fuel projects. Moroccan energy firm Nareva is set to produce ammonia, synthetic fuel, and green steel. Saudi’s Acwa Power and a Chinese consortium of UEG and Three Gorges will each focus on ammonia production.
Adding to a long pipeline of possible projects: Dubai-based H2 Global Energy completed initial studies last month for a planned green hydrogen and ammonia plant in southern Morocco, with an expected annual production capacity of 1 mn metric tons of green ammonia. French majors TotalEnergies and Engie are also considering their own green hydrogen and ammonia production projects as part of agreements the companies inked back in October.
Part of a bigger plan: Morocco’s Green Hydrogen Offer, launched in March last year, aims to establish the country as a key producer and exporter, allocating up to 1 mn hectares for renewable and hydrogen projects, backed by shared infrastructure like ports, grids, pipelines, and storage. The initiative also offers a combination of investment incentives and regulatory support.