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10 February 2016
RIYADH: Chairman of ACWA Power International Mohammed Abu Nayyan thanked King Mohammed VI of Morocco for personally inaugurating Morocco's first solar power plant, Noor1, built by an international consortium led by his company.
"We were extremely privileged by this great honor of his majesty's inauguration of the project. We are proud to mention that 75 percent of the manpower working to finish this plant are Moroccans," Abu Nayyan said.
The inauguration, which took place at a location about 20 km from the city of Ouarzazate, was also attended by Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, Saudi head of mission in Rabat Waleed bin Abdullah Mugeem, along with a large audience of Moroccan and foreign top government officials and businessmen.
Mugeem said that he was very happy to see this giant project in Morocco, the brotherly country to the Kingdom, built by an international consortium led by a leading Saudi company.
Noor 1 produces solar power with an electricity production capacity of 160 megawatts, which will allow Morocco to significantly reduce its emission of greenhouse gases.
Other phases Noor 2 and Noor 3 are to follow this year. Once all phases are completed, the project will be the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world that will produce 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to provide electricity to around one million homes by 2018.
Ouarzazate, located on the edge of the Sahara desert, is already globally well-known as a noted filmmaking center with Morocco's biggest studios located there. Once all phases of the mega-project are completed, the city will have another source of global fame as the home to the largest solar power plant in the world.
It is hoped that the project will contribute to reducing Morocco's carbon emissions by 760,000 tons per year. Morocco has scarce oil and gas reserves and is considered the largest importer of energy in the Middle East and North Africa.
RIYADH: Chairman of ACWA Power International Mohammed Abu Nayyan thanked King Mohammed VI of Morocco for personally inaugurating Morocco's first solar power plant, Noor1, built by an international consortium led by his company.
"We were extremely privileged by this great honor of his majesty's inauguration of the project. We are proud to mention that 75 percent of the manpower working to finish this plant are Moroccans," Abu Nayyan said.
The inauguration, which took place at a location about 20 km from the city of Ouarzazate, was also attended by Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, Saudi head of mission in Rabat Waleed bin Abdullah Mugeem, along with a large audience of Moroccan and foreign top government officials and businessmen.
Mugeem said that he was very happy to see this giant project in Morocco, the brotherly country to the Kingdom, built by an international consortium led by a leading Saudi company.
Noor 1 produces solar power with an electricity production capacity of 160 megawatts, which will allow Morocco to significantly reduce its emission of greenhouse gases.
Other phases Noor 2 and Noor 3 are to follow this year. Once all phases are completed, the project will be the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world that will produce 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to provide electricity to around one million homes by 2018.
Ouarzazate, located on the edge of the Sahara desert, is already globally well-known as a noted filmmaking center with Morocco's biggest studios located there. Once all phases of the mega-project are completed, the city will have another source of global fame as the home to the largest solar power plant in the world.
It is hoped that the project will contribute to reducing Morocco's carbon emissions by 760,000 tons per year. Morocco has scarce oil and gas reserves and is considered the largest importer of energy in the Middle East and North Africa.
© Arab News 2016
