GE Renewable Energy, Nareva to Build Onshore Wind Farm Extension in Morocco

American company GE Renewable Energy has signed a contract with Energie Eolienne du Maroc (EEM), a 100%-owned subsidiary of the Nareva Group

American company GE Renewable Energy has signed a contract with Energie Eolienne du Maroc (EEM), a 100%-owned subsidiary of the Nareva Group.

The agreement entails providing 40 onshore wind turbines of 5MW each – with rotor diameters of 158 meters, for the Aftissat project, a 200 MW wind farm located 50 km south of Boujdour in Western Sahara.

GE Renewable Energy and Nareva agreed to a 20-year maintenance agreement in which EEM will operate and maintain the turbines.

In line with Morocco’s goal of installing 52% of renewable energy by 2030, GE Renewable Energy states that the project is expected to begin operations in 2023 and will be used to support industrial companies under power purchase agreements.

“Morocco has great potential for wind power and has been a forerunner in the integration of renewable energies, making great progress in its renewable energy targets,” reported Gilan Sabatier, GE Renewable Energy’s international sales director, in a press release.

Morocco has been investing heavily in renewable energy since 2009, notes the American firm. In 2030, renewable energy will account for 52% of installed capacity in Morocco.

“This is an important turning point for the Kingdom, which is on the way to becoming one of the emerging countries most committed to the development of wind and solar power,” according to GE Renewable Energy.

The press release also notes that this is the first order for GE’s Cypress onshore wind platform in Morocco, which permits significantly greater annual energy production and increases efficiency.

A two-piece blade design can accommodate even longer blades and streamline logistics in order to reduce costs, the publisher says. It also provides more options for sitting in previously inaccessible locations.

This is the second wind farm developed by GE Renewable Energy in Morocco, following the 287MW Akhfenir wind farm that GE and Nareva jointly built in 2016.