HM the King Launches Works to Build Noor Ouarzazate IV, Final Stage of World’s Largest Solar Energy Complex

PERSISMA, Ghessate Commune – HM King Mohammed VI launched, Saturday in the Commune of Ghessate (Ouarzazate province), Noor Ouarzazate IV power station, the final stage of the world’s largest solar energy complex with a total capacity of 582 MW.

This new project, which will be developed on an area of 137 ha using photovoltaic (PV) technology, mirrors the royal willingness to optimize the exploitation of Morocco’s natural resources, preserve its environment, promote its economic and social development and to ensure the future of upcoming generations.

It reflects the special interest given by HM the King to energy projects, a real lever for development, and His desire to further promote Morocco’s expertise in a sector at the cutting edge of technology benefiting both Morocco and the African continent as a whole.

The latest example of this interest is the Nigerian-Moroccan gas pipeline project, which was announced during the last visit of the Sovereign to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The construction of Noor Ouarzazate IV power station is in line with Morocco’s international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its major goal of increasing the share of renewable energies in the national electricity mix to 52 pc by 2030.

Worth over 750 million dirhams, Noor Ouarzazate IV has a capacity of 72 MW. It uses photovoltaic technology which makes it possible to produce electrical energy directly from the solar radiation captured by semi-conductor cells.

Noor Ouarzazate IV power station, scheduled to start operating in the first quarter of 2018, will be developed as part of a partnership involving the National Agency for Solar Energy (Masen), a central player in renewable energies in Morocco, and a consortium of private operators led by the group ACWA POWER.

German Development Bank KfW Bankengruppe, contributed 659 million dirhams to the financing of the project.

The second and third power stations of Noor solar complex (Noor II and Noor III) were launched by the Sovereign on February 04, 2016.Their completion rate reached 76 and 74 pc respectively.

With a capacity of 200 MW, Noor II plant is developed on a maximum area of 680 ha, based on solar thermal technology, with cylindrical parabolic trough.

Noor III plant is built on an area of 750 ha using a solar power tower (150 MW). Noor Ouarzazate II, III and IV, combined with Noor Ouarzazate I (160 MW) that started operating in February 2016, make Noor Ouarzazate the largest multi-technology solar production site in the world, with a total investment of 24 billion dirhams.