Morocco’s Renewable Energy Bill Faces Industry Backlash Over Grid Connection Costs

Renewable energy professionals are pointing the finger at the new procedures. In a statement to La Vie éco, Khalid Semmaoui, president of the Moroccan Association of Solar and Wind Industries (Amisole), said that this text is added to law 13-19, still awaiting implementing decrees. Hence the discontent of the professionals. With this text, the granting of the request to connect the self-production installation to the grid will be difficult.

According to the new draft law, the granting of this request, explained Mr. Semmaoui, would be subject to the approval of the respective directorates of the national electricity transmission network and the electricity distribution network for low voltage. Once the installation is connected to the national grid from a hydraulic source, the approval of the relevant water basin agency will have to be awaited.

As a result, there will be a multiplication of stakeholders in the granting of authorizations for connection to the network. "Who says multiplicity of stakeholders, says extension of the deadlines for granting and implementation," indicates a source who requested anonymity. The new restrictions relating to the injection of production or the connection to the national grid recorded in the new text do not help the players.

For injection, the draft law sets a limit of 10% of the annual self-production of the installation. The electrical power of the self-production installation, for its part, will not exceed the inherent connection power of the national grid. "That’s a lot of restrictions," sighs this anonymous source.