São Paulo – The largest wind farm in Africa will be built in Morocco and will have a power generation capacity of 300 megawatts (MW) upon its completion, in late 2014. According to information from the France Presse (AFP) news agency, the farm will be built in the city of Tarfaya, in southwest Marrocos, by the multinational corporation GDF Suez in partnership with Nareva Holding. The project will cost 450 million euros, 80% of which will be provided by Moroccan financial institutions; the remaining 20% will consist of investment from the two companies.
According to GDF Suez CEO Gérard Mestrallet, climate conditions in the Tarfaya region are “extremely favourable” in terms of amount of wind available. He said that in the region, the wind turbines generate 45% of their energy capacity, whereas the average rate is 20% to 40%. He also said that in offshore parks, which usually get more wind, the turbines operate at an average of 40%. The farm’s 131 wind turbines will be 80 metre tall and will generate 2.3 MW of power each.
The wind farm is part of the Moroccan Wind Power Project, which provides that the country should generate 2,000 MW of electric power from wind by 2020. In addition to the Tarfaya farm, the project includes farms in Afkhenir, with a 200 MW capacity, Bab el Oued (50MW), Haouma (50 MW), Jbel Khalladi (120 MW), Tanger 2 (150 MW), Koudia el Baida à Tétouan (300 MW), Taza (150MW), Tiskard à Laâyoune (300 MW) and Boudjour (100MW).
The Moroccan Wind Power Project should receive 2.8 billion euro in investment, and aims to generate 14% of all power consumed in the country from wind sources by 2020.
Once the project has been completed, the country should cut down oil equivalent consumption by 1.5 million tonnes a year, shelving spending by US$ 750 million. The project will also prevent the emission of 5.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide onto the atmosphere each year. This is the main greenhouse gas. According to the AFP, Morocco imports 95% of the power it consumes, and demand grows 6% each year.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
