Core area “Climate and energy, just transition” Providing climate-friendly energy

    Morocco is still heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. At the same time, the country is ideally placed to use wind and solar power in particular. The government has formulated ambitious goals for climate action: it is envisaged that, by 2035, 40 per cent of the primary energy the country needs will be generated using renewable resources. The BMZ is supporting the Moroccan government’s efforts to reach its climate targets and achieve a just transition.

    An employee of the solar power plant in Ouarzazate looks over a solar field.

    An employee of the solar power plant in Ouarzazate looks over a solar field.

    Important areas of cooperation are therefore: expanding the generation and use of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and, looking ahead, also starting to produce “green hydrogen” and developing a corresponding green economic sector in Morocco.

    Morocco and Germany have been working together intensively for more than a decade on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. For example, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has already supported the establishment of wind farms and of large-scale, innovative solar thermal power stations, initially in Ouarzazate and in the future also in Midelt. The solar complex in Ouarzazate alone is already providing power from sustainable sources for more than 1.3 million people, thereby helping to avoid 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

    Tangier Wind Farm in Morocco

    Tangier Wind Farm in Morocco

    There is also demand for German expertise to assist with the development of an efficient electricity network and with the question of how the sustainably produced electricity can be safely fed into the grid without jeopardising its stability. In parallel, the government is being advised on setting up the corresponding institutions, for example a regulatory authority, and on crafting the pertinent legislation. Another area of intervention is improving energy efficiency in buildings and industry, and increasing the efficiency of public lighting.

    Green hydrogen

    • Image symbolising hydrogen (H2): circles in different sizes, each surrounding the chemical molecular formula of hydrogen, H2

    Green hydrogen and Power-to-X products

    The expected rise in global demand for green hydrogen and power-to-X products means huge development opportunities for Morocco. Germany and Morocco had already signed a hydrogen alliance to foster the entry into this technology of the future back in June 2020. Under this framework the BMZ is, for example, supporting the development of a large-scale production facility in Morocco – the first of its kind in Africa.

    Adaptation to climate change

    As a result of population growth, increasing industrialisation, recurring droughts and the expansion of irrigated agriculture, and because of the large amounts of water used by the tourism industry, in recent years the groundwater table in Morocco has been continuously falling. Climate change is making the already existing water shortage even worse, due for example to decreasing levels of precipitation and lower amounts of meltwater from the Atlas Mountains.

    The BMZ is therefore particularly assisting the rural population in selected regions with adapting to climate change and with ensuring an adequate water supply even in periods of drought. The interventions being supported include cultivation methods that protect the soil and water resources, making sparing use of rain water and using recycled greywater, as well as using geological information systems to manage water resources.


    As at: 10/03/2023