Morocco Faces a New Energy Reality as Global Shifts Redraw the Map

Mohammedia – Morocco is entering a decisive moment in its energy future as the 2025 World Energy Outlook warns that global energy systems are becoming more fragile, more competitive, and more intertwined with geopolitics.

The report highlights a world still hungry for energy, where demand for electricity rises sharply and critical minerals become a new fault line of global power.

For Morocco, a country that imports nearly all its fossil fuels but is rich in solar and wind potential, these shifts bring both pressure and opportunity.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that global electricity demand is set to grow by 40% by 2035, driven by cooling needs, digitalization, AI, and electric mobility.

This matters for Morocco, where rising temperatures, growing cities, and a fast-moving digital sector are already straining local grids.

The country’s electricity imports surged during heatwaves in recent years, reviving the debate on grid flexibility, renewable storage, and the pace of Morocco’s energy transition.

Meanwhile, critical minerals — central to batteries, solar panels, and electric vehicles — have become a high-risk zone. A single country dominates refining for 19 of 20 strategic minerals worldwide.

For Morocco, which has positioned itself as a manufacturing hub for EV components and renewable technologies, trade disruptions or export controls could raise costs and slow supply chains.

However, the report also points to a growing trend of international companies shifting production closer to emerging markets.

Morocco, which already attracts investments in solar manufacturing and battery assembly, could benefit from this strategic realignment if it strengthens industrial policy and infrastructure.

Pressure on energy security meets Morocco’s renewable ambition

The IEA warns that weather-related risks, cyber threats, and bottlenecks in global LNG markets will define the coming decade.

This is a direct concern for Morocco, whose energy security depends heavily on imported gas routed through volatile global markets.

A wave of new LNG supply will come online by 2030, but the report highlights uncertainty over who will absorb it. Lower-income countries like those in South Asia are expected to take larger volumes, but North African importers such as Morocco remain vulnerable to price swings.

At the same time, the report finds that renewables will grow faster than any other energy source worldwide. Solar manufacturing capacity is already more than twice global deployment levels, pushing technology prices down.

This is promising for Morocco’s major solar projects — Noor Ouarzazate, Midelt, and upcoming hybrid plants — which rely on affordable panels and storage systems.

Lower global costs could accelerate Morocco’s target of sourcing over 50% of its electricity from renewables in the coming years.

But technology is not enough. The IEA highlights that grid delays, slow permitting, and shortages of transformers are now the biggest barriers to renewable integration worldwide.

These are also Morocco’s bottlenecks. The country’s rapid growth in wind and solar is outpacing grid expansion, leading to congestion risks and delayed connections for new projects.

The report’s broader warning is that climate change will hit harder if global action weakens. With Morocco already experiencing water scarcity, repeated droughts, and rising heat stress, the stakes are high.