The Kingdom has stepped it up during the year 2022 with a view to consolidating its energy transition and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
This comes after an important regional dynamic initiated by Morocco with the aim of creating an economic and industrial sector around green molecules, particularly hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol.
Morocco has managed to become one of the region’s leading renewable energy producers thanks to knowledge it has gained in recent years. Morocco was one of the six nations with a high production and export of hydrogen and green derivatives, according to the World Energy Council’s “Power-to-X Roadmap” study, which supports this claim.
With a view to speeding the development of renewable energies, particularly solar and wind energy, King Mohammed VI issued His High Directives during a working discussion on the development of renewable energies and new horizons in this field on November 22.
In this sense, the Sovereign demanded that the three solar energy projects at Noor Midelt be completed more quickly and that a “Morocco Offer” covering the entire Moroccan green hydrogen industry value chain be developed as soon as possible. This offer should also include the planning of the necessary infrastructures in addition to the regulatory and institutional framework.
Convinced of the significance of green hydrogen production in the process of decarbonizing industry and strengthening the security of supply of energy and non-energy inputs, Morocco has been able to create an energy model that is conducive to the production of green hydrogen based primarily on the acceleration of renewable energies, displaying ambitious and pro-active goals in terms of the capacities to be installed to exceed the 52% cap by 2030, announced at COP2.
The kingdom has outlined its roadmap for green hydrogen, which is based on both short-term objectives and long-term aspirations, starting from an unstoppable potential that is especially manifested in its strategic geographic position and its gas and port infrastructures well connected to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
The roadmap, which aims to gradually realize the development of green hydrogen, envisions using green hydrogen locally as a raw material in industry, particularly for the production of green ammonia in the fertilizer industry, as well as exporting green hydrogen products to nations committed to aggressive decarbonization targets in the short term (2020–2030).
In the medium term (2030–2040), additional favorable conditions are anticipated, most notably the cost-reduction of green hydrogen products and the implementation of environmental regulations, which will enable the development of the first commercially viable projects, particularly for green ammonia and hydrogen, on a national and international scale.
The roadmap for Morocco’s position in this market over the long term (2040–2050) depends on increased capacity for domestic use of green hydrogen in industry, heat production, the residential market, urban mobility, and aviation.
The reference formula used by Morocco today for the implementation of a national strategy for the creation of an economic sector and industry centered around green molecules is a clear will, an ambitious roadmap, and a well-defined action plan. This formula reflects Morocco’s certainty regarding the significance of this project in the process of decarbonizing industry, diversifying the energy mix, and enhancing the security of supply of both energy and non-energy inputs.
