Marrakech – The European Investment Bank (EIB) has appointed a consortium led by renewable energy consultancy OWC to carry out a comprehensive feasibility study for Morocco’s first offshore wind farm. The project is endorsed by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), which hosted a kick-off meeting at its offices in Morocco.
The study will focus on a potential development on the Atlantic coast near Essaouira. If it advances, the project would mark the country’s first offshore wind development.
OWC leads a consortium of specialist marine, environmental, and wind consultancies. The group also brings in African, European, and Moroccan engineering and project management partners. Among them are PHENIXA (Ginger Group), Gaïa Terre Bleue (GTB), NOVEC, and SOFECO (Ginger Group).
The work will run over a two-year period under an EIB contract. Funding comes from the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) Trust Fund.
The feasibility study covers a broad scope. It includes offshore wind market and supply chain studies, site selection services, and a wind yield assessment carried out through a meteorological wind campaign. It also covers full offshore wind farm concept design, ports and logistics studies, risk analysis, and a regulatory framework review.
Further assessments will round out the study. Grid impact and integration work will be delivered alongside Moroccan grid specialists. The consortium will also provide detailed marine advisory services and environmental and social impact assessments.
Hakim Mouslim, OWC’s Regional Director for Europe and Africa, described the project as “a major milestone for Morocco’s and Africa’s renewable energy journey.”
He noted that OWC supports the EIB and MASEN across every aspect of the “pioneering project,” from market analysis and technical assessments to geoscience, offshore wind design, and marine logistics.
Backed by its sister companies in Aqualis, the consortium brings “the necessary engineering and marine disciplines, along with a proven track record on similar projects.”
To deliver the work, OWC will draw on its in-house offshore wind and engineering consultants across teams in France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It will also rely on the marine, ports, and harbors experience of its sister company ABL.
Both OWC and ABL operate under Aqualis ASA, a global consultancy listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. OWC was established in 2011 as the first dedicated offshore wind consultancy. It now holds a track record across more than 900 renewable energy projects, onshore and offshore, in more than 40 countries.
Read also: Morocco Launches First 1,000 MW Offshore Wind Project Near Essaouira
