Alstom lands first Moroccan windfarm project

Nareva Akhfenir Wind Farm will deploy 61 Alstom Eco 74 turbines, boosting Morocco wind power toward 2012 and 2020 renewable targets, alongside Tangiers and Tarfaya projects, with a five-year maintenance contract and 2011 commissioning.

French company Alstom SA has won its first contract in the growing Moroccan wind power sector following the award of a 100megawatt MW turbine deal with Nareva Holding.

Nareva, part of Groupe ONA SA, a Moroccan industrial and financial group, is planning to build the windfarm in Akhfenir on the southern coast, as Morocco seeks private investors for wind farms to expand capacity, using 61 of Alstoms Eco 74 turbines. The project will be commissioned in 2011 and includes a fiveyear maintenance contract.

Renewable energy projects have been taking off rapidly in Morocco in recent years, thanks to a combination of rising energy demand and a lack of natural fossilfuel resources. Today, Morocco imports 97 of its power at a cost of almost 5.2 billion euros US $7 billion per year. Morocco aims to generate up to 10% renewables by 2012 and has the longterm goal of increasing this to 42 by 2020.

Onethird of this will come from wind. There are currently 1,400 MW of projects in the evaluation or bidding process, and the government has also invited bids for a solar station to diversify supply.

Two other notable wind projects in the country include the 140MW facility near the city of Tangiers in the north of the country and the planned Tarfaya windfarm on the southwest coast of the country, which will generate 300 MW when commissioned next year.

Alstom is proud to have signed this contract in Morocco to enable the group and its client to further strengthen Moroccos wind industry, in line with the countrys environmental policies, said Philippe Cochet, senior vice president for Alstom Wind and Hydro. This contract is the first wind contract signed by Alstom in the country and represents a promising step for further projects in this sector.

Mohamed Sebti, Senior Corporate Director for Nareva Energy, added: We are excited to play an important role in the development of Moroccos windgenerating capacity and are satisfied with the signing of this important contract with Alstom, which we consider a trustworthy business partner. We appreciate this ongoing cooperation with Alstom and look forward to partnering with them on other energy projects in our portfolio.

Alstom has a long history in Morocco, supplying half of the equipment used in Moroccos thermal and renewable plants, which helps reinforce the Moroccan grid through integration of clean generation. The company is particularly strong in the countys hydropower market, having installed some 800 MW of hydro projects — more than half of Moroccos total hydro schemes.

In the future, Morocco is determined to become a leading location for solarpowered projects through its solar power initiative and has been approached as a potential first location for the ambitious Europeandriven Desertec initiative. Comprised of more than 30 key European power companies and investment partners, the group is planning to invest 400 billion euros US $538 billion to build massive solar farms in the Sahara desert that will help power up to 15 of all European households by 2050.

More recently, Moroccos government revealed its own 6.7 billion euro $9 billion solar energy project that aims to generate a 2,000-MW solar project portfolio from five projects spread across the country, although it later shortened the solar plant list to four after reviews.

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