Morocco’s Electricity Self-Production Law Sparks Controversy Over Sales Limits

Professionals in the sector, many industrialists and informed citizens have disapproved, through their comments, several provisions of this draft law. They are particularly against the limitation of the sale of self-produced energy to 10% of annual production. "This restriction empties the new text of all its meaning. We cannot want one thing and its opposite at the same time," regrets Amine Tahiri, Energy Expert, quoted by Challenge.

"It is imperative that this draft law be revised, as it does not currently allow the development of the renewable energy sector in Morocco," commented Damien Granjon, Development Director of Quadran Maroc. "Do they forget that the bulk of our economic fabric is made up of SMEs and VSEs?" wonders an industrialist. "Keeping the text as it is would reduce the possibilities to achieve the objective of this draft law," also notes Ahmed Haloui, in a comment.

This new text aims to regulate the production of electrical energy. Specifically, it authorizes any natural or legal person to produce electricity, with the exception of the managers of the electricity transmission and distribution network, ONEE, contractual producers, and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN).

In some European countries like France or Switzerland, self-production of electricity is without a production ceiling. In Morocco, Article 25 of the draft law punishes any person who exceeds 10% with 3 to 12 months in prison and a fine of 100,000 to 1 million DH.