Morocco’s wind portfolio is expanding: Nareva Enel Green Power (NEGP) — a JV between Morocco’s electricity company Nareva and Italian renewable energy developer Enel Green Power — has kicked off operations on its 300 MW Boujdour wind farm in Morocco, according to a statement released last week by the country's National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE). Activation of the Boujdour wind farm brings the number of operational wind farms in the country to 17.

The details: The wind farm — estimated to have cost MAD 3.9 bn (c.USD 401.4 mn) — is expected to generate 1.59 GWh of clean energy and offset some 1.1 mn tons of carbon emissions annually. ONEE will offtake the power generated by the energy plant under a PPA at one of the world’s lowest tariffs, the statement notes, without disclosing the price.

That’s not all: ONEE also announced the commissioning of the Boujdour II 400/225 kV transformer station which aims to improve the electricity transmission capacity from renewable energy projects to the power grid of southern Morocco, according to the statement.

Keeping the supply chain local: Siemens Wind Power — the exclusive supplier of wind turbines for the project — manufactured a large part of the wind turbine components locally at its Tangier blade production plant, according to a separate statement.

Boujdour is part of a much larger plan: The wind farm is part of NEGP’s 850 MW Integrated Wind Project (IWP) which seeks to deploy an additional 100 MW from the onshore Tiskrad wind farm in Laayoune and 270 MW from the Jbel Lahdid onshore wind farm in Essaouira. The Tiskrad wind farm — estimated to cost MAD 1.8 bn (c. USD 185.2 mn) — is expected to begin commissioning in 2024. The Jbel Lahdid wind farm is estimated to cost MAD 2.6 bn (c. USD 267 mn) and should begin commissioning this year. In 2020, NEGP kicked off operations on IWP’s first project, the MAD 2.5 bn (c. USD 257.3 mn) 180 MW Midelt wind farm.

Morocco has big renewables targets: Morocco wants renewable energy to account for 80% of its total power generation by 2050. The country plans to more than triple appropriations for renewables projects to MAD 14 bn (c. USD 1.4 bn) between 2023-2027 as part of a target to have 50-52% of its energy come from renewables by 2030. Morocco’s installed capacity of renewables stood at more than 4 GW as of 2022, according to the country’s Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Ministry.