Acwa Power was awarded the contracts for Morocco’s Noor Midelt 2 and 3 solar photovoltaic projects, Meed reports. Each plant has a capacity of 400 MW with a combined capacity of 602 MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS).

What we know: The projects will be built under a build-own-operate (BOO) model and will follow with 30-year power purchase agreements with the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy. They will be designed to enhance grid flexibility and deliver dispatchable power during peak demand, and are expected to offset some 1.2 mn tons of carbon emissions over their lifetimes.

More details: Acwa Power was selected after offering a competitive tariff structure, which included 200 freebattery usage cycles — a key differentiator over rival bids from France’s Engie and EDF, and UAE-based Masdar, Meed adds. For Noor Midelt 3, Acwa Power submitted the lowest levelized cost of electricity, securing both contracts in partnership with local energy firm Nareva.

Acwa has a lot of experience there: The company already has multiple solar projects in Morocco including the Noor I–III and Noor PV I solar plants. The Noor Midelt 2 and 3 projects bring Acwa’s total installed capacity in Morocco to 1.5 GW.

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