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The Moroccan National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) invested more than MAD 9 billion ($942 million) in 2021 in major energy and water projects.
“The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water continues to develop the generation, transmission, and distribution capacities in order to cater to the increasing demand for electricity, drinking water, and liquid sanitation in various Moroccan regions,” the office said in a press release.
In order to carry out this mission under the best conditions of quality and performance, approximately MAD 4.7 billion ($492 million) were dedicated for investments in 2021 despite a number of pandemic-induced constraints, added the statement.
Rise in power production
Regarding electricity production activity, installed power reached 10.968 MW by the end of December 2021, rising from 10.627 MW at the end of 2020, thanks to Zagoura and Missour’s photovoltaic power stations and Oualidia’s wind farm.
New electrical substation facilities, such as the Mediouna installation in the Casablanca-Settat region, have strengthened and extended the national network for transporting electrical energy.
ONEE’s press release also stressed the notable contribution of renewable energies in meeting Morocco’s power demands, with a share of 4.5% in solar production ( 20% increase compared to 2020) and 12.4 % for wind power generation (11% increase compared to 2020).
The share of Morocco’s wind power production now exceeds the share of natural gas production, making it the second most important production source in the country.
Morocco ensures meeting the baseload of electricity production thanks to coal-fired power stations, which are used to guarantee the security of the electricity system.
The coal-fired power stations contributed to 68.5% of national production, making it possible to cope with the fluctuations of hydroelectric production and the decline in natural-based production.
The volume of electricity exports reached 851GWh, which makes up 2% of national production.
These exchanges achieved foreign currency earnings of more than MAD 565 million ($59 million), recording an increase of nearly 700% compared to 2020.
Investments in water projects
ONEE invested MAD 4.4 billion ($460 million) in 2021 in drinking water and water purification projects, allowing Morocco to maintain quality of service and ensuring the supply of drinking water to all cities.
In order to meet the growing demand for drinking water, the office has equipped an additional flow of 1.1m3/s, which brought the overall supplied flow to 78.6 m3/s in 2021, totalling the overall production to approximately 1.3 billion m3, which represents more than 94% of the national production.
Access to drinking water in rural areas increased from 97.8% at the end of 2020 to 98.2% at the end of 2021.
The office has built 11 water treatment plants, including four extensions, and implemented 260 kilometers of wastewater treatment network.
The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water has implemented various construction projects, such as the implementation of a water treatment plant project in Taroudant from the Aoulouz dam with a capacity of 17.280 m3/d.
ONEE has also completed the water treatment plant expansion to provide Kelaat Sraghna with drinking water with an additional flow of 5.184 m3/d.
In addition, ONEE has reinforced the drinking water supply to the city of Tangier from the Kharroub dam by laying 23 kilometers of raw water pipelines, as well as to the city of Targuist and neighboring areas from the production facilities of Al Hoceima by laying 50 kilometers of pipes.
The office has also implemented the digital transformation roadmap for the water sector as a part of World Bank financing, the gradual implementation of which will take place starting from 2022.
“The office’s achievements in the areas of drinking water and water treatment have largely contributed to the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in Morocco, given that access to water and hygiene measures are essential for the protection against this pandemic,” concluded ONEE’s statement.
