Rabat – Morocco and Mauritania are set to sign a memorandum of understanding later this week for electricity connection between the two countries.
The Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, made the announcement today during a parliamentary meeting.
She said the memorandum has been prepared and will be finalized during the upcoming visit of Mauritania’s Minister of Energy to Morocco on Thursday.
The agreement focuses on the electricity sector and integrating renewable energy, including a project to establish electricity between Morocco and Mauritania. The initiative aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation and create a reliable energy link between the two countries.
Benali talked about Morocco’s broader ambition to become a key energy bridge between Africa and Europe. She recalled the country’s ongoing energy projects with several countries, including a new 700-megawatt electricity connection with Spain. This project, which is part of a 2019 agreement, will add to the existing connections and increase capacity from 900 MW to 1,550 MW.
Morocco is also advancing plans for a 1,000-megawatt electricity link with Portugal, the minister noted. In addition, the country has agreements in place for sustainable electricity exchanges with Spain, France, Germany, and Portugal.
To support these efforts, Morocco has increased its investment in its electricity grid and multiplied the annual budget fivefold, going from MAD 1 billion ($99 million) to MAD 5 billion ($498 billion).
Benali said that for the first time, the country has given private companies the opportunity to invest in high-voltage electricity projects, including a 3-gigawatt line connecting southern and central Morocco.
The country plans to invest an overall MAD 30 billion ($2.9 billion) in its national electricity grid by 2030, Benali previously revealed, adding that the current government has approved 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects during its term.
