Morocco Suspends Green Hydrogen Deal with Germany Amid Diplomatic Tensions

The Moroccan authorities have suspended the cooperation agreement signed in July 2020 between Morocco and Germany for the development of the green hydrogen production sector and the implementation of research and investment projects in the use of this material, reports Atalayar. The revocation of this agreement "would have a direct backlash on Germany in its plan for energy neutrality after setting a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030," comments the media, noting that this decision has reached the German Bundestag. Members of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) have also questioned the impact this move could have on energy issues.

Reacting to this decision, the German Foreign Ministry stated that "the German-Moroccan alliance on hydrogen is based on a long and fruitful cooperation and an energy partnership, which continue to be of mutual interest from the point of view of the federal government, but it is being put to the test due to current political developments." The two countries have given their in-principle agreement for the realization of two new projects. The first concerns "Power-to-X". Its objective is to develop the production of green hydrogen. It was proposed by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen). The second concerns the transfer of knowledge and capacity building in association with the Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies Research (Iresen).

"Fueling a hostile context against Morocco affecting green hydrogen projects is not in Germany’s interest," said Christoph Hoffmann, spokesman for the Free Democratic Party for development policy. As for the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, he deemed it necessary to travel to Morocco to ease tensions.

In a correspondence dated March 1, 2021, Nasser Bourita had called on the Head of Government and other members of the government to suspend "any contact, interaction or action both with its embassy in Rabat and with the German cooperation agencies and political foundations" due to the deep misunderstandings with the Federal Republic of Germany on the fundamental issues of the kingdom. The points of friction remain Germany’s position on the Sahara, its interference in Morocco’s internal affairs, Rabat’s exclusion from negotiations on the future of Libya at a conference organized in Berlin in January 2020, and the recent Transparency International report on corruption.