Rabat – Morocco will launch a communication campaign to motivate companies and other industrial powers to use less electricity, as part of the country’s fight against rising energy prices.
Energy prices around the world are rising significantly, driven largely by the Russia-Ukraine war – and this is no different in Morocco.
In a bid to combat these price hikes, Morocco will roll-out a series of measures to combat rising prices of electricity, which is produced using natural gas, coal and nuclear energy.
According to The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), the measures will reduce demand for electricity by 275 megawatts during peak hours, Moroccan state media reported on Thursday. The measures could also save up to 675 gigawatt hours per year, or MAD 740 million ($75.7 million) in fuel costs.
The ONEE will work with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development to roll-out the measures, ONEE’s General Director Abderrahim El Hafidi said on April 13 in Rabat.
As well as the communication campaign to promote industrial energy efficiency, the ONEE is considering promoting “Bi-Hourly tariffs” for certain customers, which is expected to reduce annual electricity demands during peak hours by 100 megawatts.
According to energy company Portuguese Poupa Energia, under a bi-hourly tariff system, consumers pay for electricity at two different rates, and for “two corresponding periods: the empty hours period, in which energy has a lower cost; and the period of [peak hours], in which energy has a higher cost.”
The ONEE will also develop a national program to introduce energy-efficient LEDs to replace 10 million lamps for domestic use.
The measures also include ensuring the reserve stock of fuels required to maintain electricity production, as well as concluding contracts for the purchase of sufficient quantities of coal to cover the Office’s medium-term needs until September 2022.
El Hafidi said that hydrocarbons account for a significant portion of the cost of producing electricity, accounting for 44% in 2021 and expected to account for 64% so far in 2022.
El Hafidi also said that the global increase in fuel and electricity prices has had, and will continue to have, a negative impact on the ONEE’s economic and financial balance. He estimated that the Office’s energy bill could be around MAD 47.7 billion ($4.88 billion) in 2022, an increase of MAD 25 billion ($2.5 billion) from what it was last year.
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During the same meeting, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali said that Morocco’s diesel stockpiles will only suffice for 26 days, while the gasoline stockpiles will be enough for 43 more days.
Morocco aims to source 52% of its energy from renewable sources, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5% by 2030.
