AfDB approves loan for Morocco's Noor Ouarzazate solar project.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved one loan of USD 123 million and another of USD 119 million for phase II of the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex project in Morocco. The second phase of the project aims to develop two new power stations with a total capacity of around 350 MW and average estimated cumulative production of over 1,100 GWh per year.

The project is part of the Moroccan Solar Energy Programme (NOOR), which aims to develop minimum capacity of 2,000 MW by 2020 in order to secure power supplies for the population and the productive sectors of the economy.

It is expected to bring socioeconomic benefits at a local level to Ouarzazate province, which has an estimated population of 583,000 inhabitants and a poverty rate of around 23 percent. Moreover, it will reduce CO2 emissions by around 522,000 tons a year, provide reliable electricity supply to support businesses, and promote a new industrial sector producing solar equipment.

This is the second project funded by the AfDB at the Ouarzazate solar complex. The bank also provided loans for the first phase of the development. Work on the first phase began in 2013 with the construction of the first 160 MW solar power station (NOOR I), which is scheduled to come into operation by the end of 2015.

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