This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress
On an official visit Friday in Jerada, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, presented a set of concrete measures aimed at supporting the development of the province and modernizing its mining activity through innovative and practical initiatives.
“These initiatives go beyond the conventional framework and provide effective solutions to overcome crises and stimulate local development. They reflect a pragmatic approach and a global vision,” said Benali, quoted in a ministry’s press release.
She specified that this approach is fully part of the high royal orientations, which call for a new model of development based on social and spatial justice, and advocating transparency and efficiency in the management of strategic sectors.
Ms. Benali stressed that the ministry is working on the realization of this vision through adapted legislative and executive tools, combining digital transformation, promotion of investments and response to environmental and social challenges, in perfect coordination with local authorities and all stakeholders.
During a meeting with provincial officials, she announced the development of a digital platform dedicated to the marketing of coal, which will constitute a major pillar of the restructuring of the mining sector. This platform aims to guarantee transparent monitoring of the extracted coal circuit and identify local players operating on the national market.
Ms. Benali insisted on the importance of an open and constructive debate on priority issues, in particular the mining sector, which remains a major economic and social lever at the local and national level.
In this dynamic, the Minister revealed that a new bill is in preparation to modify and supplement law n ° 33.13 relating to mines. This text, which will incorporate provisions specific to the province of Jerada, aims to strengthen the attractiveness of the sector for investors and meet local needs by concrete solutions.
The project provides in particular:
The simplification and digitization of regulatory procedures, the creation of an electronic mining register, the obligation of an annual health assessment for minors, the implementation of a professional card giving access to training, the possibility of treatment of minerals without prior operating permit, the creation of employment opportunities for the local population, the execution of closing and rehabilitation plans to guarantee their environmental and social durability.
Regarding the exploitation of coal, Ms. Benali insisted on the need to integrate the health and environmental issues in a vision of global reform. To this end, it announced the implementation of the first investment guide dedicated to the mining sector in the Oriental region, focused on the province of Jerada, in order to facilitate access to financing and strengthen trust between investors and territorial actors.
In the field of renewable energies, the Minister announced the signing of a framework agreement between the Ministry of Energy Transition, the Ministry of the Interior, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASSE), the Multiservice Regional Society (SRM) of the Oriental and the local authorities for the realization of a photovoltaic station of 3 megawatts, extended to 10 megawatts, intended for populations affected by silicosis.
It also recalled that the electrification rate reached 99.91 % at the national level and 99.68 % at the regional level, and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to finalize this coverage thanks to the Perg 2.0 program, which relies on renewable energies and proximity networks, a model already experienced in Essaouira et al Haouz.
This visit made it possible to take stock of the progress of the various development agreements concluded with the province, and to reaffirm the common ambition to implement them quickly on the ground.
The representative of Masen highlighted the integrated approach of the agency, highlighting the Noor Atlas project, which brings together several solar power plants for a total capacity of 300 megawatts, including 121 megawatts in Aïn Béni Mathar, for a global investment of 2.7 billion dirhams.
He also presented the unique solar power plant project of 3 megawatts intended for people with silicosis, funded up to 36.5 million dirhams, which will allow them to provide low -cost electricity, thus lightening the charges related to assisted breathing devices.
“This common project between the State and regional institutions is an integrated and innovative approach model, which combines space justice, digital transformation, operational efficiency and environmental justice,” he concluded.
