The major electricity network project that King Mohammed VI launched in Morocco’s southern provinces in January 2016 has reached its final stages.
The infrastructure project concerns linking the electricity network of central Morocco with the network in Western Sahara.
Morocco’s Minister of Energy, Aziz Rabbah, and the Director-General of the National Electricity Office (ONEE), Abderrahim El Hafidi, gave the update on the project’s progress on Friday, February 26, during a visit to Dakhla.
The visit aimed to inspect the progress of the major infrastructure project, which falls within Morocco’s sustainable development program in the southern provinces.
The project has an overall budget of MAD 2.4 billion ($268.4 million), including MAD 1.5 billion ($167.8 million) provided by ONEE, MAD 536 million ($59.9 million) by local authorities, and MAD 350 million ($39.1 million) by private operators.
The first phase of the project was completed in 2018. It included 200 kilometers of electric lines with a capacity of 400 kilovolts (kV) between Laayoune and Boujdour, 45 kilometers of electric lines with a 225 kV capacity between Boujdour and Afteisat, and a medium-voltage electricity station in Afteisat.
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The second phase, meanwhile, includes 254 kilometers of 400 kV electric lines between Afteisat and Dakhla, two electricity stations in peninsular city, one 49-kilometer-long regular electric line, and one underground electric line of similar length.
The projects included in the second phase are in their final testing phase and will soon be operational.
The major infrastructure project seeks to improve electric connectivity in Morocco’s southern provinces. It also aims to allow the local population to benefit from the energy generated by the wind farms and solar power plants built in the region.
In addition to this project, ONEE is considering connecting the national electricity network with Guerguerat, 360 kilometers further to the south of Dakhla. The electricity office has already launched feasibility studies about the potential project.
