Morocco Set to Become Europe’s Top Green Hydrogen Supplier by 2050, Study Finds

Morocco could surpass Spanish production by more than 30% by 2050, reaching up to 160 terawatts, and become Europe’s main supplier, ahead of Spain with a production capacity of over 120 gigawatts. According to the study carried out by the German Fraunhofer Institute, the kingdom could supply more than 5% of France’s hydrogen demand, relegating Spain to second place on the continent, behind France.

Since 2021, the Moroccan authorities have shown their commitment to developing this sector. According to a study by the consulting firm Deloitte, green hydrogen exports could offset Morocco’s trade balance deficits. Last May, TotalEnergies announced the implementation in the kingdom of a 9.4 billion euro project aimed at producing hydrogen and ammonia for Europe. In June, the Moroccan group OCP, in charge of phosphate transformation, also announced an investment of 7 billion euros for a similar project.

"In all the projected scenarios, Spain appears as a net exporter of hydrogen. It can be beneficial for the country to also import electricity, to cope with short-term fluctuations and seasonal variations," explains Khaled Al-Dabbas, one of the report’s authors, to Cinco Días. "The fact that Morocco has better wind and solar resources than Spain does not mean it will develop more hydrogen," comments Daniel Fraille, director at HydrogenEurope, a center grouping more than 250 companies in the sector, including Enagas and Cepsa.

The study does specify, however, that imports of hydrogen from Morocco to Europe would only make sense if "the deployment of renewable energies is not optimal or is limited". In any case, Morocco’s green hydrogen production potential is seen more as an opportunity than a threat, note the experts who believe it is "more cost-effective to use Moroccan production to meet local demand". According to projections, Moroccan hydrogen exports could meet between 80 and 90% of local demand.