Morocco hopes to generate a fifth of its power from renewable sources by 2012 to reduce its reliance on costly energy imports, the head of the country s renewables programme said. Import subsidies to make fuel more affordable for industry and the Moroccan people take a US$1.5 billion slice out of the national budget every year.

The value of energy imports rose 29 percent in the first quarter of 2006, causing its trade deficit to widen by 17.3 percent from the same quarter of 2005 and, with world oil prices touching records, there is little relief in sight. The government is redoubling efforts to find oil and end Moroccos status as the only North African country with no fossil fuel production of its own.

But for now it hopes to better exploit the potential of its mountain rivers, blustery Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline and sun-drenched interior. "We must make the most of the natural resources we have," Amal Haddouche, General Manager of Moroccos Renewable Energy Development Centre, told Reuters. "We must increase the share of renewable energy in the total to 20 percent by 2012, including large-scale hydro-power."

Excluding hydro-electric dams, the goal is 10 percent, according to senior government officials. The kingdom generates 7.6 percent of its energy needs using renewable sources including hydro-electric, wind and solar power and biomass. The vast majority is generated by fossil-fuel power stations.

The government says Morocco could potentially generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity from wind turbines. Total installed production capacity last year was 5,250 MW. "Wind power will see a remarkable development in coming years because we expect to install at least 50 megawatts of wind turbines per year from 2007," the energy and mines ministry said in faxed replies to questions from Reuters.

Electrifying the countryside

Morocco s demand for energy grew 8.8 percent last year and could increase by as much as 7.5 percent per year until 2015, according to government estimates. Much of that increase is due to forecast economic growth but the government is also trying to improve living standards among the rural population by extending electricity supply to isolated communities.

Rather than try to link all isolated villages to the national grid, Morocco is promoting the use of solar panels, which are becoming a common sight in villages across the sparsely-populated country. The government has identified 200 new hydro-power sites, and biomass could also become an important contributor, drawing on the rich potential of Morocco s 5 million hectares of forests.

"Our targets would certainly put us ahead of all other North African countries in terms of the share of renewable energy," said Haddouche. Hopes for finding oil on Morocco s own territory remain alive even though none of the four exploration wells drilled offshore between 2000 and 2004 have come up with a discovery.

Domestic newspapers have said Morocco also aims to launch a bold plan to build nuclear power plants. For now the government says it has no nuclear power programme.
(Por Tom Pfeiffer, Planet Ark, 20/07/2006)