Despite Solar and Wind Power, No Arab Country Consumes as Much Coal as Morocco

Morocco’s coal consumption reached 0.28 exajoules in 2025, compared with approximately 0.27 exajoules a year earlier. This increase of nearly 6% keeps the Kingdom well ahead of the Arab countries.

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Morocco consumes almost three times as much coal as the United Arab Emirates, which rank second with 0.10 exajoules. Egypt follows with 0.06 exajoules, far ahead of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, each of which is around 0.01 exajoules.

These figures are taken from the Statistical Review of World Energy 2026, published by the Energy Institute, an independent British institution that has compiled global data on energy production and consumption since 1952.

The exajoule is a unit used to compare very large quantities of energy. It does not directly correspond to the volume of imported coal or the amount of electricity produced, as the result depends in particular on the quality and calorific value of the fuel used.

A Transition Still Dominated by Coal

The ranking contrasts with the image of renewable-energy power that Morocco is striving to build through its solar power plants, wind farms and new energy projects.

However, these investments have not yet made it possible to replace coal on a large scale. Large thermal power plants continue to play an essential role in the country’s electricity supply, particularly when solar or wind production varies with weather conditions.

Morocco’s situation also contrasts with that of several Arab oil- and gas-producing countries. With substantial hydrocarbon resources, the latter generally use much less coal and reserve it mainly for certain industrial activities.

Globally, coal consumption increased by another 0.7% in 2025, despite the rapid growth of renewable energy. The Energy Institute points out that all major energy sources reached new records, with the rise in global demand absorbing part of the progress made in low-carbon technologies.

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Morocco therefore faces a dual challenge: continuing to increase its solar and wind capacity while reducing its dependence on coal sufficiently for the energy transition to be genuinely reflected in its consumption.