Tetouan – The International Energy Agency (IEA) issued a report today, analysing the diversification of energy policies in the Middle East and North African (MENA).
According to the report, MENA has become one of the top contributors to global electricity demand growth since 2000—which tripled by 2024—given the rise in population, income, urbanization, and industrialization.
The steady increase has triggered a wave of sustainability initiatives across the region, and it is expected to shift focus especially to desalination and cooling efforts, given its climate. Further efforts, such as reducing oil-fueled energy and a general “share of renewables in the region’s electricity generation,” are predicted to increase tenfold by 2035, while nuclear power capacity is expected to triple.
“…There is growing policy momentum across the region to diversify the electricity mix through renewable and low-emissions sources. In recent years, several countries have introduced new policies and targets to accelerate this transition,” according to the report summary.
Many countries’ renewable and sustainability policy efforts were recognized and commended in the report, including Morocco’s sustainability initiatives.
The report stated that desalination capacity is increasing across the region, and “many countries in the region have set ambitious national goals to expand their desalination capacity.”
Among these countries, Morocco aims to increase output by 1.7 billion cubic meters per year by 2030.
The report further recognized Morocco’s target of increasing renewable energy share to 52% by 2030, calling it an “ambitious target.”
The region’s energy consumption is expected to rise aby nother 50% by 2035, and oil is waning as a primary energy source.
