Morocco’s Office National de l’Electricite (ONE) provided its customers with 16,324gwh of power during 2004 as demand increased by 7.1% during the year, according to a recent report in La Vie Economique. The country’s agricultural section registered an increase of 17% during 2004 as a result of the government’s rural electrification scheme. In February 2002, Morocco announced the launch of an energy deregulation program that included increasing rural electrification to 30,000 villages and connect them to the national grid by 2006 (MEES, 18 February 2002). According to the report, ONE intends to invest around $3.6bn between 2005-10 towards meeting the country’s growing power demand. During 2003 it invested $384mn, and in 2004, $492mn. Investment during 2005 is expected to reach $564mn. Projects scheduled for this year include a 60mw wind park in Essaouira, a hybrid thermal-solar independent power plant at 'Ain Beni Mathar (MEES, 17 June 2002), and the opening of a tender for the construction of a 140mw wind park at Tangiers.
Other planned projects include a second 400mw unit at the Tahadart power station near Tangiers and a gas-fired combined cycle power plant near Al-Wahda dam in the Ouezzane region that will have two 400mw units, the first of which is to become operational by end 2008, while a second 400mw unit is to come online by end 2009. The plant’s annual production is expected to reach 6bn kwh, which is more than 20% of Morocco’s electricity demand. The project is in the pre-qualifying stage.
