According to Official Account @Storage Discover, according to a report on the website of the Ministry of Commerce of China, to enhance its energy storage capacity, the electricity branch of Morocco's National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) has recently issued a letter of intent for a tender. The plan is to construct a large-scale energy storage power station with an AC side capacity of 1600 megawatt-hours (MWh-AC). This power station will primarily be used to store electricity generated from renewable energy sources (such as wind and photovoltaic power) and release it during peak electricity consumption periods to stabilize the grid operation. It is scheduled to be put into operation between the end of 2025 and mid-2026.
Morocco holds 71% of the world's phosphate reserves and is rich in cobalt resources, providing core raw materials for lithium iron phosphate and ternary batteries. Coupled with its geographical advantage of being close to Europe and supportive policies, several Chinese battery companies have deeply established themselves in the Moroccan market.
Regarding energy storage batteries, in November 2024, Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion High-tech signed a memorandum of understanding with the Moroccan sovereign wealth fund CDG Group. The latter will provide an investment of 300 million euros (approximately RMB 2.3 billion) to help Gotion High-tech build a comprehensive project in Morocco covering power batteries, energy storage batteries, and cathode and anode materials. The first phase of the project is expected to create over 2,000 jobs.
In terms of energy storage projects, Morocco is actively introducing battery energy storage systems (BESS) to complement renewable energy. Several Chinese companies are involved in this.
In 2023, State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Huanghe Hydropower Development and UAE-based AMEA Power formed a consortium and successfully passed the pre-qualification for the Noor Midelt III photovoltaic and energy storage project of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN). This project includes a 400MW photovoltaic plant and a 400MWh energy storage system.
In November 2024, Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power and China's Gotion High-tech reached a cooperation agreement to build a 500MW wind farm in Morocco, equipped with a 2GWh battery energy storage facility, with an investment of approximately $800 million. The green electricity generated by this project will be exclusively used to power Gotion High-tech's new battery factory in Morocco, effectively providing a stable supply of renewable energy for the battery production line. The construction of the wind farm and energy storage facility is expected to proceed in parallel with the battery factory construction.
Furthermore, ONEE's 1.6GW battery energy storage project will select an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contractor/operator through international bidding. Chinese state-owned enterprises such as PowerChina and China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), which have experience in undertaking new energy power stations and energy storage projects in Morocco, are also expected to participate in the bidding with an EPC plus long-term operation and maintenance model.
Source：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/69KGkFTWuuT6gwGMmw0r1Q
