Private sector supplies 45 percent of Morocco's energy needs

The Private sector supplies 45 percent of Morocco's power needs, Advisor to King Hassan II, Andre Azoulay, said.

Azoulay, who was opening a regional conference on energy, analyzed Morocco's strategy in matters of power energy aimed at meeting the increasingly-expanding power consumption and associating the national and international private sectors in developing the energy sector while preserving the fundamental prerogatives of the state in controlling production.

In this regard, Azoulay said the accord that Morocco concluded a year ago with a the ABB-CMS consortium to build a power plant in Jorf Lasfar, 220 km south of Rabat.

Beyond its financial performance (an investment of more than 1.6 billion U.S. dollars), the accord showed the excellent negotiating skills of the Moroccan experts.

He also cited the 50 megawatt wind power complex, built in northern Morocco, which will be the largest unit in Africa.

The royal advisor added that Morocco will invest more in the energy sector, which he termed as "the engine of our economic growth."

For his part, Moroccan energy and mining minister, Youssef Tahiri, said the national commercial energy consumption stood at 8.5 million tons in 1997, including 69 percent in oil products and 24 percent in coal. Non-commercial energy consumption reached 3 million tons.

In year 2010, Morocco's commercial energy consumption will stand at 13 million tons. The net electric energy production, which currently stands at 12,000 megawatts, will double.

The Minister added that energy resources remain under-exploited in Morocco, which imported 92 percent of its energy needs in 1997. That is why, he said, Morocco will relaunch its oil prospecting policy. He announced that nine drilling concessions were already concluded with international companies.