São Paulo – A consortium led by the Saudi ACWA Power International won on Monday (24) a tender to build the first phase of a solar power plant in Morocco, with forecasted investment of US$ 1 billion. According to information disclosed by Lebanese daily paper Daily Star and by news agency Reuters, the mill should be in Ouarzazate region, in the north of the country, and should start being built late this year, for delivery in 2014.
The Saudis have a 95% share of the consortium and Spanish companies ARIES and TSC share the remaining 5%. The project presented by them won the tender on presenting the lowest price for energy generation: equivalent to 0.14 euros per kilowatt/hour, a value 27% lower than that presented by the second best proposal. Another three consortia were defeated.
The project should be financed by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Development Bank, KFW Bank, from Germany, and the French Development Agency. The government of Germany should invest 15 million euros in the project and the European Union, 30 million euros.
Ouarzazate solar mill should generate 160 megawatts when the first phase is ready, enough to supply a city of approximately 300,000 inhabitants. When the second phase of construction of the plant is ready, it should generate 500 megawatts. This is the first of five solar mills that the country aims to build by 2020 and which, together, should produce 2,000 megawatts of energy.
Apart from the solar power plants, Morocco is investing in wind farms to generate another 2,000 megawatts also by 2020. Apart from supplying the domestic market, the energy generated by the solar and wind parks should be exported to Europe.
*Translated by Mark Ament
