Morocco seeks private investors for wind farms
A proposed course of action calls for renewed efforts to invest in the energy sector, particularly in wind energy, through public-private partnerships, which have allowed both an increase in safety standards and a relative reduction in investment costs, making renewable energy a realistic and competitive alternative, especially when prices for oil and gas are at high levels.
Morocco has very strong potential for renewable energy projects. Wind potential is particularly high, especially in the north and south of the country:
• Essaouira, Tangier and Tetouan have average wind speeds of 9.5 to 11 meters per second at 40 meters;
• Tarfaya, Taza and Dakhla have average wind speeds between 7.5 and 9.5 meters per second at 40 meters;
• Morocco has a total wind power potential of 7,936 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year;
• electricity consumption in Morocco in 2007 was 22.6 Twh;
• a detailed atlas of wind speed and patterns in Morocco was published in 1995 and updated in 2007;
• more than 50 wind-measurement stations were installed between 1990 and 2007.
Morocco is attempting to obtain private funding for the Tarfaya 300-megawatt (MW) wind farm project. Morocco's Office National de Electricite invited potential bidders for the Tarfaya wind farm project for a final discussion about project specifications and technical clarifications in the third week of October.
The winning bidder will build a 200-MW wind farm, which will begin operating in 2011. The developer will have the option of increasing the size of the wind farm to 300 MW at a later stage.
Related News

West Coast consumers won't benefit if Trump privatizes the electrical grid
LOS ANGELES - President Trump's 2018 budget proposal is so chock-full of noxious elements — replacing food stamps with "food boxes," drastically cutting Medicaid and Medicare, for a start — that it's unsurprising that one of its most misguided pieces has slipped under the radar.
That's the proposal to privatize the government-owned Bonneville Power Administration, which owns about three-quarters of the high-voltage electric transmission lines in a region that includes California, Washington state and Oregon, serving more than 13.5 million customers. By one authoritative estimate, any such sale would drive up the cost of transmission by 26%-44%.
The $5.2-billon price…