Morocco Unveils $14B Energy, Desalination Projects With TAQA, Nareva

Morocco's electricity and water utility ONEE, in partnership with TAQA Morocco, Nareva, and the Mohammed VI Investment Fund, has announced a $14 billion investment plan to enhance the country's energy and water infrastructure by 2030. The projects include constructing a 1,400 km high-voltage direct current transmission line with a capacity of 3,000 MW connecting southern and central Morocco, building five seawater desalination plants with a combined capacity of up to 900 million cubic meters annually, and developing a 1,200 MW renewable energy portfolio primarily consisting of wind and solar. Additionally, a 1,500 MW combined-cycle gas power plant in Tahaddart will be developed to stabilize the grid, alongside plans to acquire an existing 400 MW gas-fired power plant and explore a 1,100 MW greenfield gas power project. Water infrastructure efforts include creating a new waterway linking the Sebou and Oum Rabia river basins to combat water scarcity, supported by water transmission networks with a capacity of approximately 2.2 million cubic meters daily. These initiatives stem from strengthened Moroccan-Emirati cooperation following King Mohammed VI's 2023 UAE visit and aim to reduce Morocco's reliance on coal by expanding renewable energy and natural gas, with financing to be secured from domestic and international sources.