“We are committed to exiting the coal sector by 2027,” Loïc Jaegert-Huber, Engie’s director for North Africa, said on the sidelines of a French-Moroccan business forum in Rabat. “We have already received expressions of interest from potential buyers” for the SAFIEC plant, he added, without revealing their identities.
The Safi power plant, with a capacity of 1,386 MW, is currently operated by a consortium consisting of Engie (33%), Nareva Holding (35%) and Mitsui & Co. (32%). If Engie’s partners consider green ammonia as a solution to decarbonize the factory, the French group is firmly opting for clean energy.
To read: Morocco: thermal power stations of concern
Engie is no novice in Morocco when it comes to renewable energy. The group already operates a 300 MW wind farm in Tarfaya, the largest in the country. It is also involved in the construction of a desalination plant and a wind farm in Dakhla, in collaboration with Nareva.
“The wind farm will be ready next year and the desalination plant a few months later,” said Mr Jaegert-Huber. The latter will produce fresh water mainly for irrigation (90%) and drinking water for Dakhla (10%).
In addition to renewable energy, Engie is also interested in energy infrastructure projects in Morocco. The French group is particularly interested in the 3 gigawatt submarine cable that would connect Dakhla with Casablanca.
“France is ready to finance this cable,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said at the business forum. The cost of this project is estimated by experts at 3 billion euros.
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