The UfM Secretariat in MENAREC for the first time: The Mediterranean Solar Plan reaches a new stage
Marrakech, 16th May, 2012. The UfM Secretariat participated in the MENAREC 5 Conference, a large Euro-Mediterranean regular meeting which aims to strengthen regional cooperation to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The Mediterranean Solar Plan is a major initiative of the UfM. It aims to create conditions for large-scale development of renewable energy, and energy efficiency around the Mediterranean, in particular through the construction of a capacity of 20 GW of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2020, of which one part would be exported to Europe.
As part of this conference, the UfM Secretariat signed two Memorandums of Understanding with key partners, OME and Dii, in order to enhance their cooperation and develop existing synergies.
Dii is a private industry consortium which aims to create conditions for an accelerated implementation of the vision in the Desertec EUMENA region (European Union, Middle East and North Africa). The OME is a nonprofit organization bringing together major energy companies in the Mediterranean basin.
The UfM Secretariat welcomed these new partnerships, in addition to those already established with RECREE and Medgrid. « The use of renewable energy is not a luxury, but an absolute necessity for the Mediterranean » said Secretary General of the UfM, Fathallah Sijilmassi. « The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with the MSP is a key instrument. This is a major strategic focus for regional cooperation in the Mediterranean ». The Deputy Secretary General in charge of the Energy Division at the UfM Secretariat, Ambassador Sotiris Varouxakis, added: « The MSP is a key area for the Euro-Med partnership and in a broader context of the Union for the Mediterranean, because renewable energies are of strategic importance for both sides of the Mediterranean”.
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Download Secretary General Sijilmassi’s speech at the MENAREC 5 Conference (French)
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