This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
This article was automatically translated from Hibapress, the Arabic version:
Heba Presso-Ouarzazate
The Nour and Ouarzazate 3 station, which is affiliated with the Nour and Ouarzazate solar complex, is still out of service since the beginning of 2024 after having been subjected to technical failure in the Mergal salt reservoir, and this problem stopped operations and postponed the resumption of production until the end of the first quarter of 2025.
According to the latest company estimates, Naya, the Energy project, the financial losses resulting from this judgment increased from $ 47 million to more than $ 51 million (around 520 million Moroccan dirhams), which greatly affected the ACWA power company which holds the majority of the project, as well as the Moroccan Mazen Sustainable Energy Agency.
ACWA POWER, which holds 75% of the station operating company, explained that the holidays that were to be repaired by November 2024 proved to be more complicated than expected, which led to the extension of the stop period until April 2025.
The Noor Ouarzazate station is 3 essential parts of the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex, which reaches a total capacity of around 580 megawatts, and the station depends on concentrated solar energy technology (CSP) with the solar tower system, with a production capacity of 150 megawatts.
In addition, the station has an operating function up to 8 hours after sunset thanks to the thermal energy storage system using melted salt.
Since its operation in October 2018, the station has been subjected to a series of technical problems, because it stopped earlier for about a year between June 2019 and May 2020 due to leaks in the melted salt system.
The total cost of the establishment of the Nour and Ouarzazate station was around 7.18 billion Moroccan dirhams, and the project was financed with contributions from several international institutions, including the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank and the German Bank KFW, in addition to the support of the European Union.
The possession of the station belongs to the ACWA Power Ouarzazate III, in which the Saudi Acwa Power holds 75%, while the Mazen Sustainable Energy Agency has 25% through its branch of Masen Capital. (ONEE), which guarantees a fixed electricity price of 1.42 Moroccan dirhams per kilowatt hour.
The Nour and Ouarzazate station is 3 major parts of Morocco’s strategy to develop renewable energies, and the station was supposed to meet the needs of around 500,000 Moroccans in electricity, especially during peak periods.
While the judgment continues, the question remains on the impact of these holidays on energy supplies in the country and the extent of the possibility of avoiding more delays which could hamper the resumption of the station in the future.
