EIB backs feasibility study for Morocco’s first offshore wind farm

The European Investment Bank has commissioned a two-year feasibility study for a proposed offshore wind farm off Morocco’s Atlantic coast near Essaouira, in a step toward assessing the country’s potential to develop its first offshore wind project.

The study will examine whether the proposed project is technically and economically viable, how much electricity it could generate and what infrastructure would be required to build and operate it.

Renewable energy consultancy OWC is leading the consortium conducting the assessment, which was commissioned by the EIB and financed through its Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership Trust Fund.

The project is supported by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy, known as MASEN, as Morocco seeks to expand its renewable energy capacity and diversify its electricity sources.

The feasibility study will assess potential locations for the wind farm and measure wind conditions through a dedicated meteorological campaign. It will also develop an initial project design and estimate potential energy production.

Researchers will assess whether Morocco has the ports, supply chains and other infrastructure needed to construct and operate an offshore wind farm.

The study will also examine the project’s potential impact on Morocco’s electricity grid and options for connecting offshore-generated power to the national network.

Environmental and social impacts, marine conditions, project risks and Morocco’s regulatory framework will also be assessed.

OWC is conducting the study with marine, environmental, engineering and project management companies from Morocco, Europe and Africa.

The consortium includes PHENIXA and SOFECO, both part of the Ginger Group, as well as Gaïa Terre Bleue and Moroccan engineering firm NOVEC.

OWC said specialists from its teams in France, the U.K. and Germany would contribute to the project, while its sister company ABL would provide expertise in marine engineering and port infrastructure.

Hakim Mouslim, OWC’s regional director for Europe and Africa, described the initiative as an important step for Morocco’s renewable energy sector.

The study is expected to provide the technical, environmental and economic analysis needed to determine whether the proposed offshore wind farm can advance to the development stage.

Morocco already has an established onshore wind industry, but offshore wind could provide an additional source of renewable electricity along the country’s Atlantic coastline.