Morocco breaks ground on $220m Noor Ouarzazate IV solar plant

April 02, 2017

Morocco breaks ground on $220m Noor Ouarzazate IV solar plant
Above, one of the three Noor plants using concentrated solar power technology in Morocco. LeAnne Graves / The National
Morocco broke ground on its US$220 million solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on Sunday, inching closer to realising its 50 per cent renewables target by 2030.
The 72-megawatt Noor Ouarzazate IV plant, developed by Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power, will generate electricity for 4.79 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). Engineering, procurement and construction will be delivered by a consortium of Sterling Wilson, Shapoorji Pallonji and Chint ­Solar, while Morocco’s renew­able energy agency, Masen, will be the sole lender.

    "This programme will not only focus on the delivery of green electricity at a low cost, but it will also deliver on the strategy of employment creation and eco­nomic development from renewable energy capacity deployment," said Mohammed Abunayyan, the chairman of Acwa.
    The latest plant is part of the Noor Solar Plan, which will develop a combined solar capacity of about 2,000MW in three years. Acwa Power is also the developer of the first three Noor plants, all using concentrated solar power technology, totaling 510MW, costing $2.84 billion.

      Acwa’s chief executive, Paddy Padmanathan, said that renewable energy capacity would be delivered at "pace-setting tariff levels support of the country’s unwavering commitment to decarbonise electricity generation without compromising the social and economic development of the kingdom".

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