Egypt’s climate ranking sinks as Morocco remains in the top 10

Despite solid progress in clean energy and decarbonization, Egypt’s standing in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) dropped to 38th place this year from 20th in the last ranking, proving that big infrastructure projects and dreams are not enough to satisfy global benchmarks. While Egypt has plenty of land to build megaprojects, Morocco ascended to 6th place on the back of building a centralized system for renewable energy deployment and integration, highlighting a growing institutional divide between the two North African giants.

First, what are we measuring? The CCPI measures national progress across four pillars — greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, energy use, and climate policy. It blends hard data with expert judgment to assess both national targets and the credibility of how policies are designed and delivered.

What caused the crash?

• Policy divide: The government has recently moved to pause new solar connections and is weighing the end of the net metering system. In contrast, Morocco has institutionalized its transition through a “one-stop shop” (Masen) and a steady net-metering framework. It’s also exploring a more decentralized renewable energy system (DRES), particularly rooftop solar.
• Target dilution: Egypt’s 2040 renewables target was briefly raised to 58% before it was revised down to 40-42% amid concerns over grid stability and funding.

Egypt is now categorized among the world’s “low performers,” driven by stagnant growth in its renewable energy mix — which has hovered around 11-12% for five years despite high-profile launches. Our latest climate targets, submitted in the 2023-updated 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), also stopped short of setting an economy-wide emissions reduction goal. It focused, instead, on sector-specific targets limited to electricity, transport, and oil and gas. The lack of quantified commitments across other sectors makes it harder to track overall progress.

The core of Morocco’s success is Masen, which acts as a centralized planning and financing agency, significantly de-risking investments. Egypt’s accountability for green transition remains fragmented, with responsibility split across the Electricity Ministry, EgyptERA, and multiple utilities, creating a “policy inconsistency” that CCPI experts explicitly criticized.

Where did we go wrong? While Egypt’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy use were rated medium, the drop was driven by a low rating in climate policy and a very low rating in renewable energy. You’d think our progress in renewables integration would have a bigger impact, but it looks like big projects alone don’t cut it. Our entire infrastructure needs an overhaul to keep us on the right track.

The bottomline: To improve its ranking and re-enter the “medium-performer” bracket, Egypt must pivot from capacity building to systemic reform. While we have built some of the world’s largest renewable energy sites, Morocco has built the most reliable investment environment.

Egypt remains focused on FDI-led megaprojects, like the Benban and Obelisk plants, while struggling to integrate smaller, P2P contracts into the national grid. While our approach at home aims to reduce investment risks and attract private capital, Morocco’s financing framework aims to broaden private sector involvement across the economy by integrating renewable energy finance into the domestic banking system via credit lines reinforced by EU and bilateral contributions.