EU supports the development of a Solar power station in Ouarzazate

Rabat, 16 July 2012. The European Union announced on July 16, its support for a project focused on solar energy in Ouarzazate, Morocco. In a statement to the Moroccan press agency MAP, Marlene Holzner, the European Energy Commission spokesperson, said that the EU is determined to strengthen its cooperation with Morocco in the field of clean energy, particularly with regard to the funding of the second phase of the solar power plant of Ouarzazate.

The first phase, carried out by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), is funded partly by a grant from the European Union’s Neighbourhood Investment Faciliy (NIF) and by loans from the European Investment Bank and several EU Member States. The World Bank and Clean Technology Fund (CTF) are also supporting Morocco’s solar plans with loans for $200 million and $97 million, respectively, to finance Phase I through a public private partnership.

The Solar power station of Ouarzazate will be one of the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) systems in the world with a capacity of 500MW.