Contracts setting up power station in northern Morocco signed
Morocco, Economics, 11/29/2001

Morocco signed Wednesday contracts for the setting up of a US$ 250 million power station in Tahaddart, northern Morocco.

The 385 megawatt station, to be operational by 2004, will have a combined cycle and will use natural gas conveyed by the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline that channels Algerian gas to Europe via Morocco.

The contracts were signed by the Moroccan national electricity facility (ONE), the Spanish ENDESA company and the German Siemens at a ceremony chaired by Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi.

The station will be financed and exploited by a company, whose capital is held by ONE (48%), ENDESA (32%) and Siemens (20%).

Youssoufi said during the signing ceremony that the partnership formula used for the construction of this station constitutes a turning point in the build up of Morocco's electricity production, conveyance and distribution infrastructure. He said this station "lays the cornerstones of a large scale electricity integrated project in the Western Mediterranean while associating our Maghreban neighbors and our European partners."

The Prime Minister added that the Tahaddart project falls in line with Morocco's policy to privatize the energy sector.

Earlier this month, the Moroccan center for the promotion of renewable energies (CDER) signed a convention with a European consortium "SOLRAMUNDO" and a Kuwaiti promoter, Adnan Al-Hamoud, for the construction of a 2,000 MW capacity solar power station whose production will be partly exported to Europe.

The station-produced electricity will consolidate Morocco's electricity assets and will be used in sea water desalination projects.

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