Rabat – As Morocco aspires to increase its wind capacity by 4.2 GW by 2030, the country’s offshore wind potential is capable of meeting more than 17.3 of its current power demands.
Despite the absence of set targets for offshore wind in Morocco, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reported in its latest report that the country has “vast potential floating offshore wind offers” that can help it cut reliance on fossil fuel – oil, gas, and coal – and reach Net Zero by 2050.
Morocco’s offshore wind potential and the government’s “strong” commitment to green energy transition make the country “stand out as a market to watch,” said Maf Smith, Vice-Chair of GWEC’s Floating Offshore Wind Task Force.
As well as having Africa’s biggest wind farm in Tarfaya, the report argues, Morocco has the potential to produce large offshore wind capacity in the Strait of Gibraltar and the south of the Atlantic coast where the average wind speed exceeds 10 meters/second.
While the abundance of stakeholders and maritime traffic in Gibraltar provides logistical hurdles, the port of Agadir offers a logistic base and access to grid links.
Read Also: Morocco Among 30 Global Leaders in Offshore Wind Market
However, investment in the grid infrastructure in Morocco’s southern provinces remains necessary to accommodate the large-scale offshore wind capacity and transport it to load centers in the northern provinces.
Additional investments in new renewable energy technologies must be part of Morocco’s roadmap to ensure the full exploitation of the renewable energy potential, stated Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC.
Morocco has previously committed to the development of wind capacity through its Integrated Wind Energy Program. Adopted in 2010, the strategy seeks to increase onshore wind capacity by 1 GW by 2024 and by 4.2 GW by 2030 to contribute to the overall renewable energy goals of 52% by the end of the decade.
Considering the Kingdom’s offshore wind potential, GWEC reported that Morocco is part of a “chasing pack” of markets that could “drive the new wave of floating wind growth.”
The pack has a total offshore wind potential of 3861GW and consists of Morocco, Italy, Ireland, the Philippines, and the US Pacific coast.
Scott Urquhart, Managing Director of Aegir Insights, co-author of the report, said that the five countries that aspire to catch up to global offshore wind leaders such as the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan.
Read Also: Morocco: Wind Energy Towards Sustainable Development
