Phase one works on Morocco’s Noor Midelt multi-technologies solar power plant is set to commence. This is after Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) announced the winning bidder for the tender.
The tender was won by a consortium led by French EDF Renewables after the Masen launched the project to build an 800 megawatt solar plant in Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The consortium has been tasked to build the plant projected to cost US $782m.
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Noor Midelt solar plant project
The plant will be the world’s first to use advanced hybridisation of concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) technologies. It will be located 20 KM North of Midelt in Central Morocco. Construction is expected to start at the end of 2019 with first grid of electricity expected to be delivered from 2022.
Upon completion the Noor Midelt solar plant project will provide dispatchable energy during the day and until five hours after sunset with a set tariff of US $0.070 per kilowatt hour at peak hours.
Phase 1 Noor Midelt project comes as the third collaboration between Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar and EDF Renewables who also partnered in the recently announced 400 MW Saudi Arabian Dumat Al Jandal wind farm project.
“Masdar is pleased to leverage its experience and global expertise in PV tech and CSP as part of the consortium. As a company we remain committed to the government of Morocco’s long term energy goals and we expected this project to raise the profile of renewable energy solutions as a provider of reliable, clean and cost effective power in Mena region,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar’s Chief Executive.
“The project marks a vital step in the transition of renewable energy from the traditional peak-shaving role in meeting power demand to becoming the main electricity provider in future” he added.
