Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

With the roll-out of Morocco’s green-hydrogen roadmap, massive amounts of renewable energies will be put on-line. To substitute 2MT/yr of ammonia imports from Morocco’s global phosphate fertilizer industry, an additional 8 GW renewable capacity will be needed. As the country’s peak power load has reached 6.7 GW in 2021, this would more than double the country’s peak power generation capacity. Beside record-low production costs achieved when combining the Atlantic trade winds blowing on the Sahara coastline with Solar PV generation, Morocco’s green-hydrogen greatest advantage remains its interconnectivity to European gas pipeline networks. As transportation costs of green-hydrogen from remote countries (such as Chile) can double its price once reconverted in Europe, Morocco’s pressurized green-hydrogen can be delivered by existing pipelines directly to European end-users. As a result, Morocco raised its energy transition target submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC from 52% to over 80% of renewable capacities by 2050. Considering the country’s hydrogen road map reference and optimistic scenarios forecasting 78 GW to 131 GW of additional renewable capacities dedicated to green-hydrogen production by 2050, this target can be effectively met. For that to happen, storing large amounts of hydrogen will be critical. Morocco disposes of a pioneering experience in Underground Geological Storage of energy carriers. Initiated since 1978, the country stores over 80% of its butane consumption in bedded salt deposits. This operational experience in energy carrier underground storage with sound geological prospects will make seasonal storage of massive amounts of green-hydrogen economically competitive. These, along with other critical operational synergies in hydrogen generation, integrated uses and infrastructures are likely to make Morocco’s Green-hydrogen roadmap very effective.