Morocco Seeks Bidders for Ouarzazate Solar Power Project

Morocco is seeking to award work on the second phase of its Ouarzazate solar power project by the end of the year, the nation’s minister of mines and energy said.

Fouad Douiri, speaking at a conference in Abu Dhabi, said the project would provide 300 megawatts to 340 megawatts of power once completed. The first phase of the project is being built by ACWA Power International, a Saudi Arabia developer.

The project is part of the nation’s ambition to generate 2 gigawatts of electricity from solar power by 2020, requiring investment of as much as $9 billion. Next year, he said the government plans to tender for another solar project in the city of Oujda about 60 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea. It would be between 400 megawatts and 500 megawatts.

To contact the reporter on this story: Wael Mahdi in Abu Dhabi at wmahdi@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net