Rabat – Morocco and the International Energy Agency (IEA) signed an action plan for the period of 2020-2021, on Friday, December 6, in Paris. The plan aims to improve bilateral cooperation in terms of energy security and renewable energies.
IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization that focuses on energy security, economic development, and environmental protection. It also aims to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Morocco became an associate member of the IEA in November 2016.
The new action plan will answer Morocco’s needs for transitioning into a low-carbon economy.
Morocco’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Environment Aziz Rabbah signed the document during his meeting with IEA’s Executive Director, Fatih Birol.
Birol commended the “growing importance” of Morocco, both regionally and internationally, in the field of energy.
The cooperation between Morocco and the IEA will concern strategy, databases, access to information related to world energy, and the development of the agency on the regional level, Rabbah told the press.
Morocco is a logistic partner of the agency with its strategic geoposition and well-developed infrastructure. The kingdom is ranked 17th in the world in terms of maritime connection and plays an important role in international energy security, added the minister.
Rabbah participated on Wednesday, December 4, in the first meeting of the recently-created High-Level Global Commission for Urgent Action on Energy Efficiency. He also took part in the IEA’s ministerial conference on Thursday, December 5.
Cooperation between Morocco and the IEA started in 2007 in the fields of energy policies and research and development statistics.
Two years later, Morocco launched a national plan aiming to develop wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.
The two parties previously signed an action plan on June 28, 2017, for the period of 2017-2019. According to Rabbah, the plan was a success, which led to the signing of the new 2020-2021 accord.
Morocco’s national energy strategy aims to reach 52% of electricity consumption based on renewable energy by 2030.
Since the launch of the strategy in 2009, Morocco has heavily invested in renewable energy with projects such as Noor Ouarzazate, the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world.
The Noor Ouarzazate complex encompasses more than 3,000 hectares of land in the Sahara Desert. It cost an investment of $400 million in loans from the World Bank and an additional $216 million from the Clean Technology Fund.
