EDF-Led Consortium Wins Bid for Morocco’s Groundbreaking Noor Midelt Solar Project

Through a press release, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy said it was fully satisfied with the successful bidder for the Noor Midelt I project. "At MASEN, we are fully satisfied with the results of this call for tenders and confident in the capabilities of the selected group to successfully carry out this project. Noor Midelt I is a technologically disruptive project. There will be a before/after Midelt in the world, just as there was a before/after Ouarzazate," said the head of the Agency in the press release.

The CEO of the Agency, Mustapha Bakkoury, commented on the Noor Plan, launched by King Mohammed VI, which came after the full commissioning of the 580 MW Noor Ouarzazate solar complex, noting that this project is the first phase of the new multi-technology solar complex in Midelt.

While it is accepted that this project is one of the first hybrid (CSP-PV) power plants announced worldwide, it should be noted that "Noor Midelt I will have an installed capacity of 800 MW with a storage capacity of 5 hours, where the two photovoltaic and CSP technologies will be combined to produce sustainable electricity," it is learned. This innovative hybridization will not only improve the efficiency of the plant but also optimize the price of the kilowatt-hour, with an even more competitive rate of 0.68 dirhams per kWh during peak hours.

As described in the press release, the start of construction of the power plant is scheduled for the fall of 2019, while the work on the common infrastructure of the Noor Midelt complex is almost finalized. Indeed, a 40 km road has already been built and will not only provide access to the complex and the Hassan II dam, but also open up the neighboring villages of the complex, explains the Agency. It should be noted that the investment related to Noor Midelt I is close to 7.57 billion dirhams. As for all these works, they are carried out by Moroccan companies, thus generating 300 jobs created during the works, reports the same source.