MOROCCO – Spanish based wind power operator Siemens Gamesa has announced plans of reaching an energy production capacity of one gigawatt (GW) in Morocco in the near future.

The ambitious plans by the wind energy giant was revealed by Sonia Adnane, Siemens Gamesa’s head of communications and public affairs during an interview with Morocco World News.

Adnane said that Spanish Gamesa was currently constructing a  180 [megawatts] (MW) wind energy Midelt, as part of the 850MW framework agreement in partnership with the National Electricity Office (ONEE).

“In that context, we are very much looking forward to starting the next ones, helping us to reach more than 1GW in the country,” Adnane said.

Siemens Gamesa, has had a presence in Morocco since 2017 when it started operations through the launch of a wind turbine blade factory in Tangier.

The plant which was the first of its kind in Africa and in the Middle East, has a production unit which delivers blades to Morocco, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Siemens Gamesa currently employs approximately 800 people in Morocco, including 750 in the Tangier factory and around 50 in its Casablanca-based commercial office.

The company is one of the main partners of Moroccan organizations operating in the field of renewable energies.

The Moroccan government aims to have 42% of its energy mix renewable by the end of 2020 and increase the share to 52% by 2030.

Adnane revealed that Morocco’s ambitious plan was one of the reasons why Siemens Gamesa decided to invest in the country in the first place.

“We are proud to be a partner of choice and can look up at some major achievements and projects in collaboration with our partners in the Moroccan wind energy market,” Adnane said.

“We aim to keep and strengthen these partnerships while continuing to develop technologies that will maximize the productivity of the wind source,” she continued.

Spanish Games currently operates eight wind farms across Morocco, totaling 856MW and representing over 72% of the local market share.

The wind farms are located in Tarfaya (301MW), Aftissat (201MW), Tangier (140MW), Essaouira (60MW), Foum el Oued (50MW), Haouma (50MW), Tetouan (32MW), and Laayoune (5MW).

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