Morocco’s GI3 broke ground on a USD 4.9 mn solar-powered water heater production facility this week, according to a statement from Morocco’s Industry and Commerce Ministry. The factory is expected to come online by 2Q 2023, Bloomberg Asharq reports.

The details: The Mysol Ces factory will have a production capacity of 40k units annually by 2024, with plans of expanding production capacity to 90k in coming years, the statement notes. The second phase of the project will include a solar PV panels and modules factory production facility with an investment ticket nearing USD 59 mn, Bloomberg Asharq quotes GI3 CEO Badr Ikken as saying.

A step away from import reliance…: The country’s imports of solar powered water heaters amount to some USD 20 mn from China and India, Morocco’s Industry and Commerce Minister Ryad Mezzour told Bloomberg Asharq. The units produced in Mysol Ces will initially be earmarked for the Moroccan market, with plans to export to international markets after the production volume expansion.

…And a step towards larger carbon neutrality ambitions: Moroccan state-owned fertilizer manufacturer OCP Group is earmarking USD 12.3 bn to invest in solar and clean energy projects as it looks to rely entirely on renewables to power its facilities by 2027, OCP CEO Mostafa Terrab said in a meeting with Moroccan King Mohammed VI (watch, runtime: 5:48).

Morocco has a lot of clean energy projects in the pipeline: Egypt’s Hassan Allam Holding is mulling investing USD 50-150 mn in Moroccan renewable energy and desalination projects in 2023, while Egypt’s Orascom Investment Holding is eyeing an initial USD 100 mn investment in renewable energy, EV charging stations, and agro-industrial sectors in the North African country. Independent power producer Lekela is also exploring projects in Morocco, CEO Chris Antonopoulos told the Africa Report in November. Indian conglomerate Adani Group also signaled potential investments in renewables projects with a combined 10 GW capacity in Morocco to supply green ammonia to Europe last October.